Chaos Theory
by too addicted to fiction
Summary: "What would you wish for?" "I wish I could do it all over again. Fix it." In which Bellamy finds himself reliving the past, but this time, he's determined to do it right. Too bad he forgot to take into account the cardinal rule of time travel: just as the smallest pebble can create ripples in a pond, the smallest decision can create a significantly different outcome. Post-S2 Finale
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I do so love fanfiction about them!

* * *

 **Chaos Theory**

Same shit, different day. Bellamy Blake heaved out a sigh as he walked the ranks of the cadets. Most of them had joined because they still thought of society as it had been on the Ark, when those from Phoenix had had it good, and those from Walden had been forever worried about food deprivation; they thought that by joining the ranks of the Guard here on the ground, they'd be treated to more, to better.

But that wasn't the kind of society they were building down here. In fact, that was one of the few reasons that Bellamy was stuck here, in this small encampment that felt like shackles despite the promise of freedom in this new world. He was bound and determined to make it better, so kids wouldn't have to grow up worried that their baby sisters might not eat, or that their moms would have to demean themselves to garner more resources.

And so far, it was working. Kane listened thoughtfully to all of Bellamy's suggestions, and he implemented most of them. When the population had increased, and food had become more scarce, Kane had let Bellamy take a hunting party out to scope out what areas he thought would yield the most game. When they'd run out of medical supplies, and someone needed to venture back into the graveyard that was once Mount Weather, Kane had left the details up to Bellamy.

When a scuffle had broken out between the Sky People and the Grounders once again, Kane had asked Bellamy what he thought they should do. So here he was, training up new guards, and most of them looked like they had no business being here. But it was a new world, Earth, and everyone could take a swing at anything. And Bellamy would be there to fit the pieces together.

Because that was what she'd asked. She'd said to take care of them, and that was what he intended to do. Even if he lost a piece of himself in the process.

* * *

Hours later, Bellamy sat on the outskirts of the camp, looking up at the stars. Something streaked across the sky, and Bellamy found himself giving a grim smile. Was that the kind of shooting star you could wish on?

"What's that look for? Ate something bad?" he heard behind him, and Bellamy rolled his eyes as Raven sat beside him. She pulled out a canteen, took a chug, and made a face. "Moonshine. Want some?"

Bellamy didn't say anything, but he held out his hand, and she handed him the drink. He took a long swig, eyes nearly watering as the stuff burnt its way down his throat. "Shit. That stuff is _bad_."

"Yeah, well, you know. The best stuff was always when Monty and Jasper worked together."

Bellamy took another drink to get past the lump in his throat. When they'd first returned, Jasper hadn't spoken to Monty since Mount Weather. He'd refused to speak with anyone who'd been involved, really. Then one day, he'd just disappeared. Up and left camp without a word. That had been nearly three months ago, just a mere half-year after the rescue mission had happened.

"Sorry," Raven mumbled, realizing her faux pas.

"Don't worry about it," Bellamy murmured, taking another swig.

Jasper hadn't been the only one to leave. In fact, Octavia and Lincoln had left after a few short weeks. They'd been excommunicated from Lexa's Tree Clan, but they didn't quite fit in at Camp Jaha. There was too much mistrust of the Grounders, and people were afraid of Lincoln's strange ways.

Octavia had always seemed off to most. She'd been what the Ark's society considered a mistake, someone who should have never been born, and yet she'd survived against all odds, and that made her frightening. Hers was a story that had never been a happy one. Her life had been hardships and obstacles, filled with small bouts of happiness that strung her along from one day to another.

They'd left after a few short goodbyes, first to Raven, then to Monty, and a few other members of the 100. Finally, they'd stopped to tell Bellamy, whose heart had grown so walled off that he'd barely been able to muster a smile to wish her well on the way. And the irony of it all was her leaving had perhaps been the thing that'd pushed him fully over the edge. He was who he had to be for their people, but his own feelings and ambitions became secondary, cordoned off. It was better this way. It didn't hurt so badly.

"Slow down, tiger," Raven said, but she took another large sip as well when she grabbed the canteen back from him. "What's got you so zen tonight?"

Bellamy shrugged. "Thought I saw a shooting star."

Raven gave a half-smile. "Finn used to tell me that people made wishes on those, before the Cataclysm."

"Yeah. I heard that too."

Raven glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, knowing who must have told him that. "Yeah. Makes sense Finn would have told Clarke."

Bellamy grabbed the canteen, letting more of the burning alcohol slide down his throat. It was making him feel fuzzy, which was nice. Better to be numb, especially when talking about shit like this.

"What would you wish for?" Raven asked.

For the first time, Bellamy turned his head to observe her. She was harder, more jaded, than when she'd first arrived. Raven worked just as hard as he did, trying to get everything up and running, and it had taken a toll on her. She'd had something with Wick at first, but she was too rundown, too broken to let herself be in a relationship with him, and it was too hard for him to do something halfway. In a lot of ways, he supposed, she was one of the few who knew exactly what he was feeling.

So what would he wish for? He wished that, somewhere, his little sister was safe. He wished that Jasper wouldn't have to feel the pain of having lost of his first love, and knowing that his best friends whom he'd trusted and looked up to had pulled that trigger. He wished that, wherever she was, Clarke Griffin was happy.

"I wish I could do it all over again. Fix it," Bellamy drawled, lying back on the grass as he watched another star streak through the sky.

* * *

The next day, Bellamy woke up feeling hungover. His head pounded, and bouts of nausea would come and go. Unfortunately, that didn't mean that he was released from his duties, and he was with a scouting party as they mapped out a new territory.

For him, the area was somewhat familiar. It was only a day and a half's hike from where their first dropship had landed, and he'd ventured near the area several times during the 100's tenure. But they'd found an interesting rock formation that had led way into a series of caves, and this was new for Bellamy.

Old leaves crackled under his feet as he jumped into one of the cavern's openings. "Find anything, Bellamy?" he heard. Miller.

"An entrance. I'm gonna scout it out real fast."

"Should we come?"

"No," Bellamy called. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Copy that. Better be quick. Chancellor Griffin won't like that you're going alone."

"If I'm not out in five, you can come after me."

"Copy that."

Chancellor Abby Griffin had joined on this trip last minute. The woman seemed like a shell of her former self, at least as far as Bellamy could tell since he hadn't know her well before. The loss of her daughter seemed to have extinguished the last spark in her, and she seemed just like a woman going through the daily motions.

 _So are you_ , a voice inside him trilled, but he pushed it down as he lit up a flashlight and moved further into the dark cave. There were many wounds from war, some that would scar over, and others that would fester. It was hard to say how everyone who had been involved in the Mount Weather rescue would do in the years to come. But Bellamy thought that if Clarke knew how her leaving would affect her mother, she wouldn't have gone.

Ahead, Bellamy could hear the trickle of water. The walls narrowed, then flared out again, leading him into a rather spacious cavern. It was beautiful, with specks of quartz on the walls and ceiling reflecting off a glowing pool in the center. For one brief second, Bellamy forgot about his worries, or his problems; for one shining minute, he unshouldered the burden that had been placed there all those months ago, and he took in the resplendent natural beauty of the place.

"Nice, isn't it?" a voice behind him cackled, and Bellamy whipped around.

He found himself facing an ageless woman. She was clearly a Grounder, but her skin was alabaster instead of tanned, as if she'd spent all her time out of the sun. She had the same charcoal markings that many of the Tree Clan had sported in a time of war, but it made her look regal rather than fearsome.

"Who are you?" Bellamy asked, more curious than cautious, and she cackled once again.

"I go by many names. Some have called me a soothsayer, others an oracle, and plenty more who call me a demon. I know all, and you may call me Allegra. The real question is: who are _you_ , Bellamy Blake?"

The intensity of her gaze startled him, though he tried not to let it show. This was the first real sting of emotion he'd felt in months, he realized, and he tried to quickly resurrect his walls. "How do you know my name?"

"Didn't you listen, boy? I just told you. I am all-knowing."

On the Ark, Bellamy's mother had read mythology to him and Octavia when they were growing up. The stories were often beautiful, and tragic, and many mentioned seers that could predict the future or perform small feats of magic. But for this woman to claim she was part of that? The notion was too absurd for Bellamy to even entertain.

Bellamy thought about asking her how she had survived in this darkness, but instead he asked, "Why are you here?"

She ignored his question, or rather chose not to answer, as she fired off one of her own. "Did you mean what you wished last night, boy?"

Bellamy's brow furrowed. What was she even talking about?

"Because you should be careful what you wish for. Even the smallest of pebbles can start of landslide. You must remember this on your journey to come."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you part of the Tree Clan?"

The woman took a step closer then, and the floor and walls suddenly began to tremble. Bellamy's legs locked as he braced himself, wondering if an earthquake was happening. Distantly, he heard Miller shouting his name, but he watched as the old woman seemed to glide towards him, completely steady even on his waif-like legs.

"Remember, Bellamy Blake, wishes have power when they are reinforced by strong emotions, but changes have consequences. You will have a full lunar cycle to carve out your future and pay the debt owed."

"What are you talking about?" he shouted, his voice drowned by rocks beginning to fall from the ceiling. His mind was screaming at him to run, but he felt rooted to the stop.

"Good luck, boy," was the last thing he heard as the ground shook and the cave groaned, and a heavy rock fell from the ceiling directly above him. And then everything went black.

* * *

Everything was shaking. Bellamy groaned, coming to. He squeezed his eyes shut, remembering suddenly what had happened. The caves. That woman. She claimed she was some kind of soothsayer.

Bellamy's eyes shot open as he realized he needed to get out of the cave, but instead he found himself holding tightly to a seat belt wrapped around his torso.

"What the…?" he began, and he looked down and realized that he was wearing his old guard uniform from the Ark. What the fuck was going on?

He glanced up, noting that he seemed to be on some kind of ship. Things were beginning to shake even harder, and Bellamy looked around. He noted many familiar faces. A screen suddenly flickered up, and Bellamy found himself looking up to a monitor with Thelonius Jaha's face on it.

"Prisoners of the Ark," the smug prick began, "Hear me now. You've been given a second chance. As your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but for all of us. Indeed, for mankind itself…"

What. The. Actual fuck. Bellamy tugged at his seat restraints as the screen prattled on, and he began to rationalize in his head. He must have been hit by the rock, and this was all a dream. A fucking weird and really realistic dream, but a dream nonetheless.

In the corner of his eye, Bellamy could see movement. He glanced over, saw that someone had cut the straps on their harness.

"Oh, hell yes," the figure said, floating through the air. Cheers arose from the other members of the 100, and Bellamy ran a hand through his hair. He grimaced when he realized it had been slicked back, and he remembered that he had worn it differently on the Ark. Everything had been different back then.

Something fell from the ceiling and nicked Bellamy's hand, and he hissed in pain. Dreams weren't supposed to hurt, right?

"You're the traitor who's been in solitary for a year," Bellamy heard Finn say.

"You're the idiot who wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk," came the response, and Bellamy glanced up. Her face was obscured by another row of prisoners, but Bellamy could tell even from here who that bright blond hair belonged to.

And as the cut on his hand continued to bleed, Bellamy's mind came to a startling realization. This wasn't a dream, nor was it a nightmare. Somehow, Bellamy had been sent back to the beginning. The 100 were about to land on Earth.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, I still have to finish **The Line Between** , and I promise I will, but this story has been bugging me for a while, because I already know how exciting it's going to get. I'm always a big fan of time travel tropes, and the notion of having a redo, but the butterfly effect taking hold. So I thought, why not do that with The 100?! I promise there's some exciting stuff planned here for you guys. Anyway, if you like this, please please leave me your thoughts/encouragement, because reviews = inspiration. Thanks for reading! xoxo, TATF


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I am all about fanfiction for them!

Chapter 2

This was just fucking crazy. Bellamy's stare broke away from his hand as the entire dropship shuddered, and someone screamed. He could only see Clarke's hair, but he knew she was talking to Finn, who was floating on his back like a total idiot.

Screams echoed around the chamber again as the ship's parachute deployed, followed quickly by the sound of tearing metal. Bellamy heard a _WHUMP_ as two kids across the way slammed into the ground. Fuck. He'd forgotten about that. Maybe if he'd remembered, he could have saved them…

Bellamy shook his head. There was no way this was real, and therefore it was pointless to try and change things. He'd clearly drank too much the night before, or a falling rock had given him a concussion or something. _But the soothsayer said_ , a part of him began, and he ruthlessly tamped it down. His time on Earth had taught him one thing: there was no room to be soft, because down on the ground, it was do or die. You either survived, or you didn't, and useless fantasies of what could have been were just distracting enough to get in the way of what had to be done.

So he would play out this coma dream – or whatever was going on – until the end, but it didn't mean he liked reliving the memories that now only served as a reminder of all the ways he wasn't strong enough to save them all. To protect their innocence. To make them stay.

The dropship came to an ungraceful and rocky landing, just as Bellamy remembered, and the lights slowly began to come on as the 100 breathed harshly, hearts still racing from the ordeal.

"Listen," Bellamy heard, and he turned his head to see Monty strapped up against a wall next to Jasper. "No machine hum."

Bellamy quickly fumbled with his seatbelt, hands shaky as he managed to unlatch the buckle. He hurried to the ladder that would bring him to the lower levels, suddenly anxious to get out of this enclosed space. Even if he hadn't ever been the one trapped beneath the floor, he'd always had somewhat of an aversion to cramped spaces, and he wanted to feel the fresh air of the Earth rather than this cramped bay that smelt of sweat and terror.

As he reached for the lever, he heard a voice call out. "Stop!"

Bellamy inhaled sharply. He knew that voice, and while the tone almost brought a smile to his face, he didn't know what to expect when he turned around.

As he spun, hand still on the lever, the first thing Bellamy noticed was how clean she was. Clarke looked younger this way. Her hair was in a braid rather than hanging loosely onto her shoulders, and she was shooting him a look that suggested she thought he was deeply stupid. There was something about seeing her like this that made his heart beat faster, something about her eyes. Maybe it's because she didn't yet hold the burden of responsibility on her shoulders. Or maybe it was just seeing her again after all they'd been through. That was to be expected.

What he hadn't expected, though, was the rush of anger that surged through him as she forced her way through the crowd.

"The air could be toxic," she said.

The closer she came, the more livid he grew. He didn't know why her appearance should cause him to be so incensed, but soon a storm raged inside of him. "If the air's toxic, we're all dead anyway," he replied, voice gruff as he tried to control his emotions.

He turned back around, grabbing the lever, when another voice broke through his thoughts. "Bellamy?"

Bellamy thought this might be torture. Many of the people he'd come to truly care for in Camp Jaha had left. They'd left _him_ , and he was alone. And now he was stuck in some crazy fantasy where they were here, tormenting him, showing him all the faces he'd let down.

But whether or not this was a dream, Bellamy had never been able to say no to his baby sister, and he turned to face her. He remembered the first time he'd seen her, when they'd reached Earth, he'd commented on how big she'd become. But that wasn't what he focused on now.

Instead, she seemed so innocent, so soft, compared to the Octavia that had thrived here on Earth. His Octavia was a warrior, and this Octavia? She was naïve, untainted by the struggles of the ground.

"My god," he began, unable to help himself as he let a small bit of joy rush through him when she came closer, throwing her arms around him. So instead of commenting on her size, he instead took a moment to notice how she was glowing, and happy, here and now. "You're here."

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Someone had to keep an eye on you."

The moment was interrupted by Clarke, who inched towards him, staring at his arm. "Where's your wristband?"

Before he could answer, Octavia stepped between them. "You mind? I haven't seen my brother in three years."

The crowd began to murmur and shift, and Clarke looked astonished. Bellamy, however, was staring down at his wrist. He'd almost forgotten about the wristbands, but of course Clarke would notice that first. Her observation and intellect is part of what made her such a great leader, after all.

Someone made a comment, and Octavia lunged forward, only to be held back by Bellamy. "Octavia, no. Let's give 'em something else to remember you by."

"Like what?"

He was about to tell her that she'd be the first person on the ground in a hundred years, but he knew that was wrong. "By leading us towards our second chance," he said instead, pulling on the lever as the door was thrown open.

It was amusing, watching everyone almost brace as if the oxygen were about to be sucked out of the entire dropship. _I guess that's how it would have been up on the Ark_ , he thought before Octavia drew his attention.

She took one cautious leap forward, and after a second of nothing, threw her arms up in the air and yelled, "We're back bitches!"

Whoops and whistles followed as the rest of the 100 stepped onto the ground for what they thought was the first time, exploring this new land and a shot at a second chance, another life. And despite himself, even knowing that this was all some stupid dream, Bellamy smiled.

* * *

Bellamy walked along behind Octavia as she talked, listening, but not really paying attention. "It wasn't so bad, I guess. At least I talked to more people than before…"

He couldn't stop staring at her. All he'd wanted his entire life was for his little sister to be happy, to be safe, and he felt like he'd failed miserably in their time on Earth. Sure, she was alive, which was more than a lot of the original 100 could say, but she was an outcast.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Octavia pulling up short and grabbing his arm. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Sure."

"Sure?" She seemed annoyed all of a sudden. "You haven't seen me in three years and all you can say is sure."

Slowly, Bellamy wrapped his arms around Octavia's much smaller form. If this was some dumb dream, at least he'd spend it with his sister, albeit a much more carefree version of her.

Finally, she wrapped her arms around her too. "I missed you, Bel."

Tension seemed to leave him as he let her go, and she pulled him back towards the dropship. "I missed you too, O. I missed you a lot."

* * *

Back at the dropship, Wells had already found himself a fight with Murphy. "Look, everybody. It's the Chancellor of Earth," Murphy called, and others took of the chant, jeering at Wells.

Bellamy felt bad for the kid. He hadn't care for him, mostly as an extension of the older Jaha, but he'd seemed like a decent guy. Wells took up a protective stance in front of Clarke, and Bellamy's eyes narrowed. Right. He was totally in love with her.

For some reason, Bellamy felt himself growing annoyed again, and he looked over to Clarke. The feelings of anger and resentment burned forth, and Bellamy tried to push it down. "You okay?" he heard, and he turned to Octavia.

"What?"

"You were just glaring at that blonde girl."

"It's fine. She was just… _annoying_."

"You got that right," Octavia murmured, impressed as Finn suddenly dropped down between Wells and Murphy. Bellamy rolled his eyes at the theatrics, but Octavia was suddenly marching up to Finn, tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, Spacewalker. Rescue me next?"

 _Ugh_. In the ensuing days, Bellamy had nearly forgotten that the 100 were just a bunch of teenagers, but here and now, it seemed painfully obvious. He saw Clarke rolling her eyes next to them, which brought a small smirk to his lips. He thoughts about chastising Octavia, but what was the point? He'd probably wake up soon anyway.

"Your hand is cut." Bellamy looked to the side, stiffening when he noticed that Clarke had joined him. "You should put some antibiotic ointment on it. I grabbed some from the dropship. Here…"

She was suddenly grabbing his hand, and Bellamy sucked in a deep breath through his nose as she was spreading something soothing onto his skin. Her hands were so much smaller than his, and her touch was gentle. She looked up at him, her face still so clean and her eyes so blue. Her hair had returned to the form she now wore it in, and she seemed to be genuinely concerned. "Better?"

He yanked his sharply away from her, and her eyes narrowed. "You're welcome."

"I didn't ask for your help, Princess."

She glared, hands on hips. "What the Hell is your problem…"

"Bellamy," he told her. "And I know who you are, Clarke Griffin, and I know what you've done."

This seemed to silence her for a minute, and though Bellamy knew he should stop, a part of him realized he wanted to make her hurt, make her feel bad. _She left_ , a voice inside him said. _She left you to care for everyone, even when she knew that one person alone couldn't pick up the pieces_.

This was it, then. He was angry at her for leaving? It seemed so petty, when he knew how broken she'd been, but this was just a dream, right? Why not be cathartic?

"Don't pretend you know anything about me. And maybe you shouldn't be such an ass to the person who just helped you."

He didn't know what compelled him to do so, but Bellamy captured both her wrists with his hand. They were small, just like her, and he towered over her as she backed up. She found herself trapped against the dropship as he loomed over her, confused by his sudden predatory stance.

"Brave Princess," he said, smirking down at her.

"Let go," she growled. He did, and she pushed him backwards. "I don't know who you are or what your problem is, but you stay away from me."

She began to stomp off, annoyed, and part of Bellamy felt relieved. He couldn't let himself feel close to her again. It just hurt too much.

"When do we leave?" Finn asked a ways away.

"Right now," came Clarke's response. "We'll be back tomorrow with food. Once the others know the supplies are still there, they'll follow."

Bellamy searched his memory for this. He was starting to recall that Clarke had been gone, because Octavia had been gone… She'd come back with a wounded leg, and Jasper had somehow gotten speared during this mission. He'd spent the time convincing Murphy and the rest to take off their wristbands and follow him.

"Sounds like a party," Octavia flirted, sauntering up to Finn. "Make it five."

Bellamy caught up to her in a few easy strides. "What the Hell are you doing?"

"Going for a walk."

"Where?"

"Mount Weather," Wells said. "That's where our supplies are."

Bellamy felt his stomach drop. "Nobody is going there."

Clarke stepped forward, challenging him. "We need to find Mount Weather. Not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get, and the harder it'll be. How long do you think we'll last out here without those supplies?"

"We hunt. We gather food, and water when it rains. We're stronger than you think."

Clarke shook her head. "Be that as it may, we need shelter."

"We'll build it."

She seemed confused. "What's your agenda here?" When he didn't answer, she pressed on. "You're here, you have no wristband, and you're covered in blood, too much to be from that cut on your hand. So what are you doing here, Bellamy Blake?"

Bellamy felt like laughing, because he didn't even know himself. "Same as the rest of you, Princess. Except I'm a guard, as you can see." He gestured to his uniform. "And _no one_ is going to Mount Weather." He gave her a side-eyed glance. "Even if it means I have to tie you up and let you spend some alone time in the dropship."

Clarke's blue eyes seemed to dance with fury as she spun around, followed quickly by both Finn and Wells. Bellamy watched them go off.

"Wow," Octavia said. "You really dislike her."

Jasper and Monty were staring at him, and Bellamy felt himself looking right back at Jasper before he turned. "Mount Weather isn't safe."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Just trust, okay, O?"

"Sure," she murmured, watching as he walked off. Bellamy needed a minute to cool his head.

* * *

When Bellamy came back to camp half an hour later, he'd already turned down two women who had propositioned him, and he'd managed to befriend Atom and Miller. He knew he'd have to deal with Murphy sooner or later, but Bellamy still harnessed some ill will from when Murphy had tried to hang him, and had later run off with Jaha and several of their guns.

He turned to Monroe, who was sitting on a stump next to Sterling. "Have you seen my sister?"

Monroe shrugged, but Sterling piped up. "Yeah. She went with the Spacewalker and those others on some trip."

Bellamy straightened. "Trip?"

"Yeah. Something about supplies? Spacewalker, the Princess, your sister, and those two kind of dorky kids. You know, the one with the goggles, and the other from agro station –"

But Bellamy was already rushing back to the dropship to gather supplies. If Clarke thought she could sneak off without him, she thought wrong. Bellamy was going after them.

* * *

A/N: I wrote this and another chapter the other day. It took a lot of brainstorming to figure out just when and where I want to diverge from canon, and I also really wanted to do a good job of getting in Bellamy's headspace. Let me know if you guys liked (and remember that reviews = inspiration).

Also, friends some wonderful reader nominated both **Entropy** and **The Line Between** for the Bellarke Fanfiction Awards 2015 on Tumblr - THANK YOU! So, so, so nice. :) If you guys want, you can go find it on tumblr (bellarkefanfictionawards on tumblr) and vote for my stories under the **Canon Fanfic** or **Most Underrated** categories. It's really exciting! There's also tons of great fic recommendations on there (that I've been working my way through, so congrats to all other authors).

Anyway, I'll try to post another chapter of this fic soon. Have a great night, friends! xoxo, TATF


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I went to a party last weekend and convinced about 8 other people to start watching them!

* * *

Chapter 3

There had been times in his life where Bellamy had been angry. Seeing the guards take advantage of his mother when she was trying to get him consideration to be a cadet had been one of those times. Watching Octavia cry after she'd missed the Unity Day dance when she was 15 had been one of those times. Being treated like the trash he was picking up when he was a janitor had been one of those times.

But this? Bellamy was furious. Maybe it was the fact that he was in some trippy reality, or wherever the hell he was, and his emotions were heightened or some shit like that, but whatever the case, he was really fucking mad. He remembered how this trip had ended. The Grounders had made themselves known, Jasper had been speared and dragged off to be used as bait for some mutated panthers, and Octavia had been bitten by some kind of apparently enormous sea snake.

And then Clarke had come back and challenged his authority. That was one thing he kind of liked about her now, in hindsight, but as he ran through the woods, tracking the group's movements, he remembered why he'd struggled with her so much at the beginning. She didn't think to consult him yet. She didn't listen to him yet. Hell, she didn't even _know_ him yet.

And now her first impression of him was even worse than the first time around, since he'd promptly bitten off her head when she'd been dressing the cut on his hand. He knelt in the brush when he spotted broken foliage, signaling they'd been here. Ironic that he'd learned this tracking from Finn, and he was now using it to find said boy and the rest of them.

They couldn't be too far ahead, from the looks of their tracks, but he needed to protect Octavia and stop her from getting in the water. _You wanted to fix it_ , a voice chimed in his head. _You wanted to do it over again_.

He shook his head. That had been some ridiculous folly that had popped into his mind, which had been filled with sadness and moonshine. But now that he was here…

Whether this was some strange dream or reality or whatever the fuck it was, Bellamy couldn't help but want to fix it. Maybe it was the older brother in him, or the protective leader that had emerged in him during his time on Earth, but the 100 were his people, and he could help them.

Bellamy had disregarded the old guard uniform, instead finding a tight white t-shirt and some better boots for this terrain. He had packed cautiously, bringing whatever he could scavenge from the dropship, and using his knowledge from the first time around to help him. He knew these woods, and he would find his sister.

Up ahead, Bellamy heard a _whoop_ that sounded like Jasper, and he pushed his legs into a run, muscles straining and breathing heavy as he crashed through the forest. He saw a clearing up ahead, where Finn, Jasper, Monty, and Clarke watched as Octavia gracefully lifted her arms above her head…

And dove into a stream. When she came up, she glossed her hair back, looking unabashedly happy as she reveled in the wonders of Earth for the first time. "Octavia!" he shouted, and the group turned towards him.

"Bel?" Octavia asked, and he could see the water rippling from behind her as he approached.

Bellamy pulled the gun out from his waistline, ready to aim, as Jasper noticed the same thing and shouted, "Octavia! Get outta the water!"

She screamed as the thing grabbed at her, and Bellamy skidded up to the group. He tried to aim, but she'd been pulled underwater, and the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally hit Octavia. Clarke pushed a boulder into the water, causing the water to ripple more as the snake moved forward to investigate.

Through his peripheral vision, Bellamy could see Jasper readying to jump into the water, but the older Blake wasn't taking any chances, and he held tight to the gun as he dove in after his sister. He began to take strong strokes towards her, having learned how to swim on his previous time on Earth, and he reached a spluttering Octavia almost immediately.

"I've got you," he whispered towards her, beginning to tread towards the shallower water again.

A call of "Bellamy!" caused him to look around, and he saw the water rippling up as the snake headed towards him.

A splash behind it, though, had it veering once again, and Bellamy noticed that Jasper had jumped into the water. While it was distracted, Bellamy used his legs to keep him afloat as one of his hands wound around Octavia's waist and the other gripped the gun. He aimed it carefully but quickly, knowing he had a very brief time frame before the snake would be upon Jasper, and he pulled the trigger once, twice, three times.

Red began to float up through the water as the snake thrashed, and Bellamy shot it one more time. The snake's struggles died, and the corpse floated to the surface as the current began to drag it further out. Bellamy motioned to Jasper, who was already struggling out of the water, and together they pulled a shivering Octavia out of the water.

"Bellamy," Octavia whispered, clinging to him as she shook. He hugged her back, taking note of the angry red bite marks on her leg, mad at himself for not preventing this.

As Bellamy caught his breath, he heard Clarke ordering Monty, "Help get her up here."

He passed Octavia up before turning to Jasper, who was still breathing hard from the ordeal. Bellamy clapped the younger boy on the shoulder, and Jasper looked up at him with wide eyes. Part of Bellamy wanted to hug him, because the Jasper he'd last seen in his own time had lost all of his innocence; he'd been hardened by the terrors of war and the loss of Maya. This Jasper, though, was young, and untroubled. What he'd just done was surely something he'd never even dreamed he could do.

Bellamy clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper seemed to almost glow under the older boy's praise. "You know who I am."

Bellamy nearly smiled, but instead he stood up and hauled Jasper to his feet as well. "You're the guy who saved my sister and I, and we won't forget it."

As they climbed up, Clarke was already dealing with Octavia's leg, and Monty seemed in awe of his friend. "Note to self," he began. "Next time, save the girl."

Minutes later, when they had camped a way's away from the stream, Finn had gone to get some water, Monty and Jasper were hovering around Octavia, and Bellamy stood surveilling the scene when he felt a familiar presence by his side.

"How'd you find us?" she began.

He shrugged. "Not like you guys were hiding your trail."

"You can track? Impressive."

He snorted. "Don't act so surprised, Princess. One of us knows what he's doing down here, and that's why you should have listened to me before putting everyone here in danger."

He could feel her bristle beside him. "I don't know where you get off thinking you're the leader here. And I don't know what I did to make you hate me so much, but I don't care as long as it doesn't get in the way of our survival."

He wanted to yell at her, scream that going to Mount Weather now, before they'd defeated the Mountain Men or even knew how to survive in this new world, was possibly the stupidest thing she could be doing, but he realized she had no idea. She didn't know anything, at least yet. He took a deep breath and looked down at her.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, blue eyes wide with surprise. "What?"

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you. I'm just worried about Octavia, and I really don't think we should pursue Mount Weather supplies right now. We don't know what we'll find out here."

"What do you mean? We won't find anything. Everyone was killed off during the Cataclysm."

This was extremely frustrating, and Bellamy decided to table the discussion for the moment. They clearly weren't going anywhere while Octavia was recovering, and it seemed like the group would be settled in for the night. Bellamy took off his shirt. The temperature was dropping, and it was wet. He wrung it out, and then glanced sideways to where Clarke was unusually silent.

She was staring at his chest, and a pretty flush adorned her cheeks.

Well now, this was surprising. Clarke had always seemed pretty virginal to him in the beginning, when he'd found her to be little more than a pain in his ass, and later on there had been no time for play or pleasure, because every day meant a life or death struggle. Bellamy knew something must have happened between her and Finn, because they clearly cared deeply for each other, but he didn't know the details, and he'd never pried.

But now? Well, the Princess was extremely attractive, and Bellamy admired her intellect and determination. She was a savvy decision-maker who put others before herself, and her compassion had become her best asset during her tenure as leader. Suddenly Bellamy felt a pang of sadness for the Clarke in his time – the girl who had been thrust into a role that asked too much of her, and put the weight of the world on her shoulders.

He pushed it down as Clarke quickly looked away, and he couldn't help the smirk that tilted the corners of his mouth up. "Like what you see?"

She turned back to him, flustered. "What?"

"Because it's all right if you do. I won't tell."

"Don't flatter yourself, Blake. Maybe I just think you're insane for taking your clothes off when the temperature is clearly dropping."

Bellamy shrugged, and he was pleased when her eyes followed his movements, staying trained on his broad shoulders and back as he walked forward. "That's why I took them off. Don't want to get hypothermia." He turned and shot her a smoldering look, and when she met his eyes, he found himself unable to look away. "Although if that did happen, I'm sure you'd agree that _body heat_ is the only cure."

Clarke huffed, stomping past him. "It would serve you right."

As she went to check on Octavia, Bellamy looked up at the darkening sky, wondering if he would see a shooting star pass over tonight. And if he did, what would he wish for? Maybe this new reality wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The group had settled in for the night, Bellamy laying near Octavia, with Jasper and Monty on her other side. Clarke and Finn had camped a short way's away, everyone lying in the brush of the night.

Bellamy stared up at the sky, thinking about everything that had happened so far. Everything was the same, down to what people were saying and how they were acting. Which meant that he'd still tried to kill Chancellor Jaha, and he was a wanted criminal, and the Grounders and Mount Weather were still out there.

Nearby, a twig _snapped_ , and he turned his head. Clarke was up, moving among the trees, looking at the splendor of the luminescent forest. Bellamy sat up, watching her form move about in the distance, and he noticed Finn was gone as well. With one last look at Octavia's sleeping form, he stood up, moving quietly through the brush until he reached her.

She was kneeling near an iridescent flower, a smile playing on her lips as she inspected the bloom. Instead of startling her, he made his presence known by stepping on a twig, and she turned halfway before looking back at the splendor of the woods around them. He came closer, settling in beside her.

She didn't say anything for a minute, and he was content to sit beside her. Despite the peace of the night, she was clearly confused as to why he had joined her. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly.

"Enjoying the night."

"I mean, why are you sitting here, with me, who you clearly don't like?"

"I don't dislike you," he said, and he felt somewhat guilty that this Clarke was getting the residual backlash of anger from her future self's actions. He also knew that her leaving had been justified, that she'd needed time. _But so did I_ , he thought, and he hadn't left.

But he wouldn't have left, not with Octavia still in the camp, and certainly not after Clarke had tasked him with keeping their people safe. He'd spent his whole life feeling the protector, and maybe that was something that you just couldn't shake.

"Could've fooled me," her voice broke through his thoughts.

"I already said I was sorry for earlier," he said, and she nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I know. It's not that. It's more…" she trailed off. "Never mind."

"What?"

"I don't know. Something in your eyes when you look at me."

Curious. "What do you see?"

"Pain. Loneliness." She gave a little laugh. "Sorry. That's pretty depressing, right? Maybe it was just that you had missed your sister."

He knew why those things would be in his gaze when he looked at her, but he just agreed. "Right. That's probably it."

"But how did you get here? You don't have a wristband."

This again. "Maybe I just knew I had to come down here, Princess."

She looked him straight in the eye. "With or without the Council's permission."

He gave her a half-grin. "Do I seem like the type to ask permission?"

"No," she acquiesced. "But then why?"

He shrugged. "Maybe it's like the Chancellor said. This is our second chance."

"For humanity."

"For all of us."

Bellamy realized that he had settled down extremely close to each other, and their thighs were touching as they looked at one another. It didn't bother him, but he could see the recognition dawn on Clarke, and she jumped away.

"Hey," they both heard, and they turned to see Finn walking up, holding a leaf with water in his hands. He gave Bellamy a strange look as he approached, as if appraising him.

"You went to the river?" Clarke asked.

Finn smiled at her, holding out the leaf. "Figured it was worth losing a finger or two. Here." He held out the leaf, and she smiled at him as she took a small drink. "You call that a sip?"

She grinned and took a larger gulp. Bellamy watched Finn as he watched Clarke, and he decided to excuse himself. "I'm off to sleep. I'll see you two in the morning," he said, standing up.

"You don't have to go," Clarke began as Finn said, "Good night."

"I'm going to get some rest, and you two should as well." It had been a long day, and Bellamy had no idea if he was going to wake up in Camp Jaha with a huge bandage on his head from the cave collapse; whatever the case, he wanted to spend the rest of his time in this reality near Octavia.

A part of him felt reluctant to leave Clarke with Finn, though he wasn't sure why, but he tamped it down as he headed back towards his sister. As he settled down in the ferns, he took one last look at the glowing forest and closed his eyes.

* * *

A/N: So this chapter is un-betaed, so please excuse any typos - I was too impatient and wanted to put out a chapter to wish you all a happy Independence Day! Anyway, thanks for checking this out, and please please leave me a review if you feel so inclined (because reviews = inspiration for fanfic authors). Happy July 4, friends! xoxo, TATF


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I did spend all following them on Twitter!

Chapter 4

Birds trilled, signaling morning. Bellamy groaned as he stretched out, eyes still shut, and then winced as he realized his cot wasn't as comfortable as normal. In fact, it kind of felt like he was sleeping on…

The ground. Bellamy's eyes shot open as everything came rushing back. The cave. The soothsayer. The dropship. The water snake. The glowing flowers.

 _Octavia. Jasper. Finn. Clarke._

All people who were no longer part of his life back in the real world. So what reality was he in now? He looked around, seeing no one, but he was definitely still in the same spot he'd fallen asleep in last night.

"Hey," he heard from behind him. He turned and saw Monty, examining various plants spread around him. "You're awake." Monty startled, and then he smiled. "I'm Monty Green, by the way."

It wasn't that Bellamy disliked Monty, because if anything, he really cared about the kid and respected him – hell, he'd even call Monty one of his best friends – but he was suddenly hyper-aware that no one else was around. "Where are the others?"

"They continued on to Mount Weather. Octavia thought you were tired because you were acting weird, and I grew up on Agro Station so I volunteered to stick around and check out some of the plants while you slept – "

Monty continued talking as Bellamy stood, searching his memory for what had happened on this day. He remembered being back at camp, wanting to get everyone's damn wristbands off… And then Clarke and the others had come back, but without Jasper.

 _Because Jasper had been speared by the Grounders._

Bellamy immediately interrupted Monty. "Monty, we have to find them. Now."

Monty stood, unnerved by Bellamy's sudden apprehension. "Yeah, okay. They aren't too far ahead. They literally just left 15 minutes ago – "

"Let's go."

Bellamy only gave a short glance behind him to make sure Monty was following before he took off running through the forest. He had to get there in time…

* * *

They'd only been running for about 20 minutes or so when Bellamy heard cheers up ahead. He could see that the trees were thinning out, and from his past experience, he knew they were near the river. _It's a boundary marker_ , he remembered, and he pushed himself harder, even as he heard Monty calling out behind him.

But even more so, he saw Jasper holding up a sign on the other side of the river, yelling, "You got this! Whooooo Apogee! We did it!"

Bellamy didn't think. He just grabbed the vine in Finn's hand, ignoring the Spacewalker's, "What?" as he was flying across the river.

"Bellamy?" Octavia began, and even Jasper seemed confused as Bellamy suddenly reached the other side and tackled him.

Just as a spear thunked into the tree trunk behind them, right where Jasper had been standing.

Things were quiet for only one second before Octavia screamed, and Finn was yelling, "Get down!"

Bellamy grabbed Jasper by the back of his clothes pulling him to the side as an arrow shot out towards them, once again narrowly missing. "C'mon, Jasper! Run!"

"Bellamy!" he heard, and he saw Clarke standing, grabbing the vine that had swung back towards them.

"Get down!" he bellowed, but he saw her swinging the vine with all her might, sending it careening back towards them. "C'mon!" he said, pulling a completely shell-shocked Jasper with him.

He grabbed the vine, sticking it in Jasper's hand. "Go!" Jasper didn't move, and Bellamy grabbed him by the shoulders, looking around for where the next spear or arrow might come from before his eyes settled on Jasper's. "Jasper. Hey! Look at me." Jasper focused. "I need you to grab the rope, and get back to the other side. Swing it back to me, and then you make the others start running back to camp, okay?"

When Jasper still didn't respond, Bellamy shook him a little. "Okay?!"

Jasper nodded. "Ye-yes. Yeah, okay."

"Good. Now go."

Jasper grabbed the vine, and he was careening back to the other side immediately. Arrows whizzed past, missing him, and Bellamy jumped back as one grazed his bicep. He cursed in pain, reaching for the gun at his waist. He fired several shots, but the Grounders were too well hidden.

On the other bank, Jasper had landed, but he still seemed shocked. Clarke was up, though, grabbing his arm. She sent the vine swinging back towards him, and Bellamy smiled grimly. "Atta girl," he murmured as it reached him.

He grabbed the spear and tucked the gun back in at his waist just before he grabbed hold of the vine, swinging back to the other side. More arrows shot towards him, and he screamed, "Run!" at Octavia and the rest.

Finn was pulling Clarke forward, and Octavia was hurrying Jasper along as Bellamy reached the bank and Monty pulled up, still winded from the run. "What - ?" he began, but Octavia grabbed him.

"C'mon!" she shouted, glancing behind to make sure Bellamy was okay.

"Run!" he yelled, urging them forward as they sped away from the river.

A volley of arrows rained down, and Bellamy saw the archer in the trees. He pulled out the gun, aiming it, and he shot the man in the arm. The Grounder yelled out in pain, giving them enough time to speed away, but Bellamy knew they wouldn't make it far. The 100 had no endurance yet, no stamina. They weren't used to running long distances, and they were in shock from what was happening.

 _Think, Bellamy_. He raged inwardly. They were too far from camp. They'd never make it.

But what if they didn't have to make it to camp? What about the bunker where Finn had shot the one-eyed Grounder? Bellamy looked around. They weren't too far from there. They could make it, hide out until the Grounders had passed.

He sped up, grabbing Monty's arm as he stumbled. "This way!"

Up ahead, Finn looked back over his shoulder as he hauled Clarke forward by her elbow. "No! Camp's this way."

 _Goddamn Finn_. "Just trust me!"

Jasper, Monty, and Octavia immediately veered, following his lead, but Finn and Clarke continued to run ahead. Fuck. "Clarke!" he shouted, and the blonde looked at him, blue eyes wide.

There was no time. More spears were being thrown their way, and everyone's energy was rapidly waning. He pulled Octavia, Jasper, and Monty with him, nearing the entryway.

"Here," he panted, throwing up the door. "Get in."

"But what - ?" Octavia started, but Bellamy literally grabbed her by the waist and starting hurrying her down the ladder.

"Just go!"

Down she went, followed by Jasper. Bellamy yanked Monty backwards as a spear was thrown at them, and he picked it up and immediately threw it back. The Grounder dodged, but Monty was able to slip down the ladder while Bellamy grabbed his gun. He fired off two shots, and the Grounder went down.

Bellamy could see more in the distance, and he was readying to climb down the ladder when he heard his name. "Bellamy!" He glanced to the side to see Clarke rushing up to him, with Finn right behind her.

The relief that washed over him was immediate and unsettling. It was as if every muscle in his body had been coiled, and then unwound all at once. She reached her hand out, and he grabbed it, hauling her over to the ladder. "Down you go, Princess."

He gave her hand a squeeze, and she looked at him curiously, but there was no time as he let her climb down. "You're next, Spacewalker," Bellamy said, and Finn gave him an indecipherable look.

"You first."

"Just go."

Finn didn't argue, and as soon as he slid down, Bellamy climbed in. Time to wait it out.

* * *

The bunker was filled with harsh panting as the group caught their breath. Octavia had immediately walked over and collapsed next to Bellamy, and he sat on the floor, holding her. He could feel the lactic acid built up in his legs from running, and he knew he'd be useless tomorrow.

Bellamy leaned his forehead against Octavia's, immensely glad she was all right. He looked up, and he saw that the rest of the group was staring at him strangely.

Jasper stood up, shaking from the adrenalin, until he was right in front of Bellamy. He very nearly collapsed to the floor, looping him arms around the older boy's shoulders. Bellamy startled a bit, but he calmed when heard Jasper's quiet voice saying, "You saved my life."

Jasper pulled back, looking at him reverently. "You saved us all."

In his own time, Jasper had run off. His heart had been shattered with Maya's death, and he blamed Bellamy, Clarke, and Monty for it. Bellamy didn't even know what had happened to him, and it had been one of his biggest regrets. Sometimes, in any kind of relationship, something breaks, and you can't fit the pieces back together.

But here and now? Bellamy felt the warmth of redemption and forgiveness seeping through him. And this Jasper had no idea. "You're welcome."

Jasper grinned, standing up to go back and sit next to Monty, and Bellamy wished that Monty's future self could see this too.

"We're not alone," Clarke whispered, and Bellamy looked to her. She looked shaken, but she was maintaining a strong resolve. It was so very Clarke of her that part of Bellamy wanted to smirk, but he was still breathing too hard.

"Who are they?" Octavia asked, and Bellamy shook his head.

"They didn't come on the dropship."

"How did you know this was here?" Finn said, cutting through everything. Bellamy glanced up. Finn was suspicious, and he wasn't hiding it.

 _Because apparently I'm a Time Traveler now, Collins_ , Bellamy thought, but he couldn't tell them that. It would sound crazy.

It _was_ crazy. Everything about this situation was absolutely insane.

Bellamy thought quickly. "I was a cadet of the guard, remember? I was privy to information like this."

Finn's eyebrows knitted together, but he closed his mouth.

"We should get some rest," Clarke said.

Bellamy nodded. "We should let ourselves recover, and then we need to get back to camp." Bellamy turned to Octavia. "Want to lay on the bed, O?"

"I'm not a baby," she murmured, but he could tell she was still dazed as she stood up to walk over to the bed.

* * *

Some time later, Bellamy opened the hatch to the bunker, poking his head out. When he'd determined the safety of the area, he climbed out, keeping a close eye on their surroundings as everyone else climbed out.

They began walking back, and Bellamy found himself at the rear of the group while Finn and Clarke led the way. He inwardly reviewed all that had happened so far. He'd gone to a cave. Some so-called oracle had sent him back in time with cryptic warnings that made no sense. He'd woken up on the dropship, and he was now back on Earth, for the first time, again.

But it was different, too. He hadn't joined this expedition before, and now Jasper wasn't strapped to a tree as live bait. It seemed like he was fixing things for the better. _You wanted the opportunity to do it again? Well, here's the chance_.

Bellamy was taking it.

Ahead, Clarke spoke quietly to Finn, looking back over her shoulder briefly. Seconds later, she fell back, walking slower until she was side-by-side with Bellamy.

He barely looked at her, completely occupied by watching the trees for any signs of enemies. They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Bellamy found her presence comforting.

"A guard wouldn't know about an underground bunker that probably belonged to some private individual or family," she finally spoke, voice soft.

She didn't look up at him, and he didn't look down at her. "I know you think you know everything, Princess, but I hate to be the one to break it to you: you don't."

"No. But it seems like you do."

He finally graced her with a glance, and she met his eyes. "How did you know the Grounders were gonna attack Jasper?"

Bellamy looked away. "I didn't."

"Oh really? You came out of nowhere, grabbed the vine, and you'd tackled him just before the spear hit home."

He shrugged. "Maybe I just have great instincts."

She stared at him, and he looked doggedly ahead until he felt her lay her hand on his forearm. "I'll figure you out, Bellamy Blake," she murmured.

Before he could retort, they heard a piercing scream in the distance. One of the 100 was in trouble.

* * *

A/N: Anyone else following THE 100 panel Comic-Con stuff? I figured I should post a chapter in honor of the awesomeness. This chap is dedicated to my awesome beta S.D., and also to all of you AMAZING reviewers! You have me really on a roll for this story, so thank you so so so much (and keep 'em coming - they're like candy and I just LURVE 'EM!). Hope all of you have a fantastic weekend, and talk soon! xoxo, TATF


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I did get one of their bags from Comic-Con!

Chapter 5

Bellamy didn't really know what to expect. Things weren't completely unrolling as they had before, simply because he'd chosen to come with this group rather than stay back at camp, and he'd saved Octavia and Jasper, but maybe everything else was still unfolding in the same way. But when they'd heard a scream up ahead in the direction of the dropship, Bellamy's mind raced.

Maybe Murphy had actually attacked Wells. They'd had issues in the beginning, after all. Maybe the chaos in camp had caused some terror, and someone was just afraid.

Whatever he was thinking completely ground to a halt when the dropship was finally within his sight.

Spears and arrows littered the ground, as did several unmoving bodies. _The Grounders had attacked camp_.

Bellamy pulled up, and he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him as Clarke, Finn, and the rest pulled up.

"Oh my God," Octavia breathed, and Bellamy was once again sprinting forward.

The Grounders were clearly gone now, but they'd left havoc in their wake. Bellamy heard a sputtering, and he looked down to see Harper on the ground, an arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Her eyes were red, and she was hyperventilating, likely from pain and panic.

"Clarke!" he bellowed before turning to Harper, helping her sit up. "You're gonna be okay, Harper. We'll get you patched up."

She sniffled, his voice calming her somewhat. "How… how do you know?"

"Trust me," he said, turning as he felt Clarke's presence by his side. He addressed the blonde as she assessed the situation. "Can you help her?"

Clarke swallowed, but Bellamy saw her resolve steel as she looked up at him. "I think so. It doesn't look like it hit anything vital from how little she's bleeding, but we are going to need more antiseptic, more medical supplies." She cursed. "We need to go to Mount Weather, but it seems like getting there might be a problem."

 _That's not the only problem,_ Bellamy thought as Wells hobbled over to them.

"Clarke," the young Jaha started, relieved. "You're okay."

She largely ignored him. "What happened?"

"We were attacked… There are other people down here! They had spears, arrows."

"Did they take anything?" Bellamy asked.

Wells appraised him before shaking his head. "No. They just came, attacked. Most of us fled into the dropship. Some of us…"

He trailed off, gesturing around. Bellamy's eyes followed Wells' point, taking in the few dead bodies sprawled. His eyes landed on a small girl nearby, spear embedded deep in her chest. His heart suddenly clenched, and he shakily stood up, walking to the body.

It was Charlotte. She was dead. Bellamy felt a small hand on his arm and turned to see Octavia standing beside him. His heart felt heavy. He hadn't known Charlotte long, and she had killed Wells, but she'd reminded him a bit of a young Octavia; she was someone he'd felt the need to protect. He gently closed her still-open eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

"Did you know her?" Octavia asked, noticing how unusually affected he seemed to be.

Bellamy shook his head. His voice was hoarse when it came out, and he realized he needed to rein in his emotions. "No. It's just… She's so young."

Octavia nodded.

"Bellamy," Clarke called, and he was moving towards her, kneeling down. Harper was calmer now, though her brow was screwed up in pain. "You're gonna be fine," Clarke told her before standing up, pulling Bellamy to the side.

"What is it?" he asked when they were a safe distance away.

"I need something to use as a dressing, and we don't have enough bandages."

"Can't you use the seaweed?"

"What?" she looked at him searchingly, confused by the comment.

 _Fuck_. He really needed to think about what he said before he said it. They'd learned about the seaweed when they'd rescued Jasper the first time, as the Grounders had used it as a poultice. "I mean, I think I remember from Earth Skills back on the Ark that seaweed supposedly has a healing property."

Clarke gave him an indecipherable look before she turned away, surveilling the camp. Her eyes landed on Charlotte's body. "We need to figure out how to protect ourselves."

"Yeah. I'll talk to Miller and Wells. We should start building up a wall, and we need to begin scouting our perimeters."

"I'll need to take a count of those who are wounded, and maybe we can make a trip back to that river to get some… seaweed."

"And we'll need to figure out who would be best as guards. We need weapons," he said, thinking back to where they'd found the guns. When he'd wanted to run away. When Clarke had convinced him to stay.

"We need to find a way to contact the Ark. They need to know that the ground is habitable, and we need their help in fighting this threat."

Bellamy couldn't say he was looking forward to that, but he also didn't want 300 people to die in the Culling, which already weighed heavily on his conscience.

 _But you can fix it, this time around_.

"We'll have Monty get started on that."

"Good thinking. I'll talk to him. We'll need to lay out some strategies tonight." As he nodded, she moved off, both Wells and Finn making a beeline for her.

Part of Bellamy marveled at how easily he and Clarke slid into their roles as co-leaders, but at the forefront of his mind was the big question: was it his fault that the Grounders had attacked now?

Last time, he hadn't gone after Octavia's group, so he hadn't saved Jasper… Which meant that the Grounders wouldn't have followed them, and maybe wouldn't have continued onwards towards the camp when Bellamy had led them into the bunker.

And now Charlotte was dead, and who knew how many others… Clarke didn't know about the seaweed, as well as whatever else they'd learned on those trips. He could have caused irrevocable damage. And Bellamy realized he needed to return to the caves to figure out how to go back to his time before things unraveled further.

* * *

A few hours later, they'd taken stock of everything that had happened. Bellamy had convinced many to start building a wall from the dropship wreckage and any large branches they could find in the vicinity. The project was currently being overseen by Miller and Atom, and Bellamy watched as they helped direct the construction.

Nearby, Murphy grumbled. He'd put up a fight. "Why should we listen to you?" he'd asked, other boys behind, watching to see who they should follow.

Bellamy had narrowed his eyes, hefting his shirt to show the gun at his hip. "Because I'm older, I'm smarter, and let's not forget – I've got a gun."

"That can be changed – " Murphy began, but Bellamy cut him off.

"Maybe, but do you know how to hunt? Do you know how to shoot?" Behind Murphy, other teens began to shift in discomfort, doubt bleeding through as they looked to Murphy. Bellamy pushed on. "I've been trained as a cadet. I can tell you right now how much meat we'll need to stockpile for this many people, how we can best set up our perimeters. Now tell us why we should listen to you, Murphy."

Murphy sneered. "Fine, Blake. You can play leader. Doesn't mean we have to listen."

Bellamy grabbed Murphy as he began to move off, hauling him up close and personal. "If you want to survive out here – and I know you do, because you're the type of resilient shit that always manages to last when everything starts to fall apart – you'll listen to me, and we'll all get through this. Got it?"

Murphy shoved himself off, and Bellamy let him go. "Yeah, yeah. Got it."

As he moved off, no one followed, and instead all eyes turned to look at Bellamy. "What now?" Roma asked from the side, and that's when Bellamy had organized them into groups.

Now, several hours later, he turned and began walking towards the outskirts of the camp. He saw Wells in the distance, wiping his brow. Three fresh makeshift graves stood out, bearing the names of the victims from the Grounder attack. Bellamy's eyes zeroed in on the one bearing Charlotte's name, but he refocused on Wells as he approached.

Wells watched him warily. Bellamy knew next to nothing about him, other than he was obviously in love with Clarke, but for some reason, she'd hated him when they'd first arrived down here. With his death, she'd been extremely upset, to the point where Bellamy had basically tried to ignore her the first time around, and all of that had led to Charlotte's demise and Murphy's banishment.

"Blake," Wells began, and Bellamy nodded at him.

"Jaha. Good work."

Wells narrowed his eyes. "Thanks."

Wells' line of sight drifted past Bellamy, and the latter turned his head in the direction that Jaha was now gazing in with a longing look. There, Clarke stood talking to Finn, a smile breaking through her face despite herself. It was clear that Wells had it bad for Clarke, and Clarke was quickly warming up to Finn.

Bellamy felt like he had a cyclone of emotions inside. He was suddenly angry at Finn, but he was sad knowing the tragic ending that Spacewalker had come to in his own time. He was annoyed at Wells, who was pining after Clarke. And he was mad at the Princess, for God knew what reason this time.

Maybe it was still because she'd left him after the Mount Weather rescue. Maybe it was because of how she was laughing now, even when Charlotte and others had just died.

Maybe it was because she was smiling, and she was smiling for Finn.

He tamped down all these thoughts as he looked back at Wells, shooting him a sympathetic look. Wells bristled. "Don't give me that look."

Bellamy shrugged. "Guess we got more in common than meets the eye."

"We have nothing in common."

Bellamy narrowed his eyes. Fuck Wells Jaha if he was going to act like this. He obviously had noble intentions, but the Clarke situation had definitely gotten to him. "No? We both came down here to protect someone we love. Your secret's safe with me."

Bellamy began to walk away, pausing to look back one more time at Wells. "You have to make her _see_ you, Jaha."

And with that, he walked off, ignoring Wells staring at him, Clarke laughing with Finn near the dropship, and the urge to go over and break it up. He had to find Octavia.

* * *

That night, Bellamy had set up his tent, and he packed his things. He'd promised to take Clarke to find the seaweed the next day, and he fully intended to go back to the caves where all of this had happened.

And he intended to go alone. He couldn't risk bringing someone back with him from this time, or this world. Wherever the Fuck they were. This was something he had to do alone.

The flap to his tent opened, and he looked up, hoping it was either Octavia or Clarke. It was neither, and instead it was a tall, willowy brunette that he'd vaguely remembered from his first time 'round. Dawn or something?

"Bellamy," she purred, sidling inside as he stood up.

"Can I help you?" he asked, watching as she moved closer, her hand settling on his chest.

"You really took control today," she said, walking around him, dragging her fingertips as she circled. "It was so… _hot_."

As she finished her circling, she stood in front of him, hand drifting _down_. "So I was thinking maybe I could actually help _you_. Help you relax?"

Bellamy appraised her. He was a healthy-blooded male, after all, and he remembered how he'd definitely allowed this to happen the first time around. Once he'd asserted his dominance in the camp, everything had been relatively carefree at first – at least compared to how everything spiraled out of control as the days went on. He remembered various girls, including poor Dawn here, offering the same thing, and Hell, he'd taken it.

It _had_ been a while since he'd gotten laid… He thought maybe Raven had been the last girl, and only because she'd literally walked into his tent and taken her top off. She'd been mad at Spacewalker, clearly, and needed a way to vent her frustrations. Far be it from him to stop Raven Reyes from taking what she wanted.

Dawn began undressing, eyes watching him as she slowly took off each piece of clothing. He remained motionless. Did he take what she was offering him here? Part of him said sure, just go for it. You could use a healthy dose of sex to help with the stress of whatever the fuck was happening to him. But another part of him reared up. This was wrong. Maybe he just wasn't in the mood to fuck her.

 _Or maybe she wasn't the one he wanted to fuck in the first place._

Before he could travel down that road, the tent flap opened again, this time allowing a familiar blonde to storm in. "Bellamy, we need to – "

Clarke cut off immediately as she saw Dawn, who made literally no move at all to cover her nudity. "Do you mind?" the tall brunette said, and Clarke flushed before she looked at Bellamy.

"Never mind."

She was out of the tent before Bellamy could blink. And while Dawn was turning back around, ready to continue where they'd left off, Bellamy was already brushing past her, out into the night and after Clarke.

* * *

A/N: Ohhh chaos theory, y'all! I've gotten super into time loops and weird AU things and all that because of this fic. It's kind of fun! Anyway, hope all of you have an absolutely fantastic weekend, and thank you so much for the reviews - they always inspire me to write more and quicker. You readers are the best! xoxo, TATF


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I can't wait for them to be back in 2016!

Chapter 6

"Clarke, wait!"

She'd been quick to duck out and hurry away, but he quickly caught her as she ducked around the back of the dropship, nearly stumbling as she almost stepped on another couple having sex. She made a grunt of distaste before darting off into the thicker foliage.

Bellamy finally caught up with her, grabbing her arm. "Clarke, stop." He pulled up behind one of the trees, still gripping her closely.

"Let me go."

He did. "It's not safe to just run out here."

Clarke shrugged. "They haven't attacked in several hours, and you did a good job overseeing the defenses. I can take my chances."

"I'd rather you not."

She peered at him from under her eyelashes. "Why do you care?"

His face took on a stony expression. Did she have to be so combative, and so… _annoying_? "Maybe I don't. Maybe I just know we wouldn't survive long without a medic."

"Nice, Bellamy," she muttered. "But I never told you I was a medic. You just somehow _knew_ , earlier, when Harper was hurt."

 _Goddammit._ Clarke was too smart for her own good. "I know your mother is head doctor. Stands to reason that you might have learned at least something from her. Plus, you bandaged my hand when we first touched down."

She nodded, satisfied. "You don't have to be such a dick, you know."

"And you don't have to be such a Princess."

She huffed, and part of Bellamy was inwardly a bit cheered by the comfort of this arguing. It reminded him of a time before they'd shouldered heavy burdens. A time that he wouldn't necessarily call happy, but when he'd at least felt in control, and when he wasn't feeling the threat of Mount Weather readying to kill his friends.

"I guess… I guess I'm sorry, you know, for busting in on you." Her face flushed a bit as Bellamy met her eyes. "I thought we should talk about the seaweed, since you seem to know a little about its properties, and come up with a plan on how to find it."

"Don't worry about it." Then, remembering how it had been the first time around, "I think that tomorrow, you, Finn, and Wells can go to the river and grab some. Wells knows what it looks like."

Clarke's brow furrowed. "I don't want to see him."

Bellamy rolled his eyes. "Get over it, Clarke. We're trying to survive down here, not hold old grudges."

"It's not just a grudge, Bellamy. Wells, he's responsible for my Dad being…" _Floated_.

Bellamy knew that she'd eventually blamed Abby for this, but he didn't quite understand the details of what had gone down. Bellamy took a breath, tried again. "Right. Well, what do you want to do?"

She looked up at him. "Maybe you and Finn can come along."

He smirked at her. "Miss me when I'm gone, Princess?"

"You wish," she mumbled, but he could tell she was trying to hide a smile.

"As much as I'd love to come with you," he began, because yes, he really would, "I think someone needs to oversee everything happening around here."

"And that's you?"

"Yeah, Clarke. That's me. Now let's get back to camp."

She began moving forward, and he walked alongside her. "And by the way, you didn't interrupt anything earlier."

She kept her eyes forward. "I don't think Dawn would agree with that statement."

He shrugged. "She came of her own volition."

Clarke instantly started getting testy again. "Right," she began, completely sarcastic, "Like you didn't encourage that at all."

She sounded almost… jealous? "I didn't. She probably just saw me giving orders, and it made her feel safe."

Clarke pulled up short. "Wow. That's actually… pretty insightful."

"Good looks don't always mean no brains, Princess."

She gave him a good-natured slap on the arm. "Just when I think I'm getting somewhere with you, you say something like that. You are incorrigible, Bellamy Blake."

He grinned, feeling content with the easiness of their interactions. As they returned to the tents, Clarke began to go her own way, and Bellamy reached out, catching her wrist.

Was it him, or did the air crackle around them as he held her arm? She made no movement to pull away, and her blue eyes seem to dance in the starlight. Bellamy wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but the talk of being close to someone and feeling safe made him remember how he wanted that for all the people he cared about, and that included Clarke. She'd been hurt by a lot of things in her life, and one of those things had revolved around another certain someone down here.

He did say he wanted to fix things this time around. "Clarke?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful with Finn." She gave him a confused expression, and Bellamy let go of her wrist and stalked off towards his tent, leaving Clarke standing alone in the middle of camp.

* * *

 _The water pressure was so hard that it felt like it was cutting through his skin. Cold silver around his neck, around his wrists, made him feel panicky, claustrophobic. He coughed as the water sprayed up too close to his face, and his movements were constricted by the Mountain Men holding him there._

 _"Bring this one to the Harvest Chamber," some voice said, and Bellamy looked up to see Cage speaking to one of the men holding him in place. "I'll be with Tsing. We're not to be disturbed with the marrow trials."_

 _A pole prodded at him as Bellamy saw red, howling –_

* * *

Bellamy shot awake, breathing hard. He put a hand to his forehead, which was clammy from the dream. _Mount Weather_. He hadn't had one of these dreams in a while. He breathed out heavily as he climbed out of bed, getting dressed and ready for the day.

Once outside, Bellamy immediately found Miller, instructing him to continue the work with the wall. He pulled together a hunting group, Smith, Moore, and Atom, before he heard Clarke behind him. "Going somewhere?"

He turned around, noting her backpack. "Looks like I'm not the only one."

Behind her, Bellamy noticed Wells and Finn talking, but they were clearly waiting on Clarke.

"We're going to get the seaweed," she said.

Bellamy nodded. "Good. When you get back, we'll have food waiting, and hopefully more of our defenses should be built up."

"Great." There was a beat of silence, though Bellamy didn't feel it was awkward. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

She turned to go, and Bellamy's stomach clenched a little at the sight of her leaving. "Princess?" She paused, glancing back at him. "Be careful."

She shot him a small smile, and he felt himself responding in kind as the corners of his mouth began to tilt up. "You too."

With that, she was off, Finn and Wells with her. Bellamy was glad those two were going. Though he didn't know Wells well, he knew the guy cared deeply about Clarke. And Finn? Finn had looked out for Clarke when they first got down here. Bellamy would do his best to make sure Clarke didn't get hurt, but he knew the Spacewalker would keep her safe for now.

Bellamy turned back to his own group. "Let's go," he grunted.

As the group prepared to move out, he was blocked by a small but determined Octavia. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Hunting. We have to eat something."

"Not without me, you're not," she said, crossing her arms.

Bellamy glanced behind him, remembering that last time around, he'd once mandated that Atom stay behind to watch Octavia, who was still healing from her run-in with the sea snake. But Atom was one of the 100 with better aim, and everyone was starving. Plus, in the real timeline, Octavia had become a huntress and warrior in her own right, so Bellamy gave her a small smirk and reached into his pocket to pull out a knife.

She looked completely shocked. "Really?"

"Sure, O. Just promise you'll stick with me."

She gave him a blinding smile before wrapping her arms around him. "Thanks, Bel."

He gave her a squeeze before they were off and moving.

* * *

Several hours had passed, and Bellamy scowled again as a rabbit got away from them. Everyone in the group seemed astounded at his aim, and Bellamy had to remind himself that not everyone had had practice like he had. They'd managed to catch a decent-sized doe, which was slung across Smith's back, but if they could wrangle up some more game, Bellamy knew he'd feel better about how the 100 were faring.

Behind him, he could hear Octavia flirting with Atom. The older boy seemed to flirt back at times, but Bellamy had caught him sneaking nervous glances in his direction, knowing that Octavia's older brother might not appreciate his advances.

Which suited Bellamy just fine.

Sure, he'd gotten used to the idea of Lincoln and Octavia, but the Grounder had truly proved his love for O. Bellamy didn't have anything against Atom, but that didn't mean he'd allow just anyone to go for his little sister.

On the ground, hundreds of mice suddenly scurried across the ground, causing Octavia to shriek and grab hold of Atom's arm while the rest of them tried to step away from the swarm. _What the fuck?_ Bellamy thought, trying to remember what was going on. The first time they'd gone hunting…

The acid fog had been activated, and Bellamy had holed up in a cave with Charlotte. "Run. Now!" he yelled as he noticed the fog rushing through the forest.

Bellamy grabbed hold of Octavia's arm, hauling her forward. Smith and Moore ran in one direction, while Atom followed the Blakes in another. Behind him, Bellamy heard rather than saw Atom stumble to the ground. And then he remembered…

The first time around, Atom had fallen. He'd been caught in the fog. And Bellamy hadn't gone back for him, so Clarke had had to kill him.

"Fuck!" he cursed. This was one of his most poignant memories from earlier on. How could he have forgotten?! He remembered how he hadn't been able to kill Atom, how Clarke had done the deed instead, soothing him as death came for him. He'd seen the Princess in a different light that day.

And Octavia… She'd been so upset. She'd blamed him for Atom's death. Just another name on his conscience, another life he'd been charged to protect and had failed.

 _Not this time_. Bellamy yanked Octavia around, flinging her forward. "There's a cave ahead! Get inside!" he shouted as she looked back.

"But Bellamy!"

"Go!" he roared.

Octavia kept running, and Bellamy was suddenly wheeling around, going back for Atom, who was stumbling to stand up as the fog caught up.

Bellamy could feel his skin beginning to blister, and he coughed as his eyes and throat burned. He grabbed hold of Atom's arm, yanking the younger boy forward. They sprinted towards the cave, but Bellamy could feel the paralyzing fog slowing down his muscles.

 _We're not gonna make it_ , he thought as both he and Atom stumbled. At least this time around, he'd tried to do the right thing. He'd almost saved Atom.

Bellamy's mind cleared when he felt a small hand yanking him forward, and he realized Octavia had come after them. Because of course she had. Because she was Octavia, and since when did she listen to anything he said down here? And he was not about to let his little sister die out here from Mount Weather weapon.

Bellamy gathered all of his strength and surged forward, yanking both Atom and Octavia into the cave as the fog finally fell over them.

All three coughed and sputtered, and Octavia whimpered as she took notice of their blistered skin. Bellamy put a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes. "O, calm down. Are you okay?"

She nodded, and he felt a rush of relief slide through him. He also felt woozy, and he saw Atom beginning to slump against the cave wall, his body overwhelmed by the fog's properties. At least he was alive.

"Good," Bellamy grunted, and then darkness fell over him as he too lost consciousness.

* * *

A/N: Hey y'all, sorry for the delay. My work/life has been crazyyyy lately, but I have so many cool ideas for this story... I just wish I didn't have to sleep and could write all the time! Anyway, thanks for your follows/faves, and especially thanks to all of you who leave reviews - that makes me write quicker, and fanfic authors are paid in reviews :) Anyway, have a great day, everyone! xoxo, TATF


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, but I'm ready for 2016 so I can see them on TV again.

Chapter 7

 _Time was of the essence. It was just him and Monty and Clarke, and Bellamy could tell that the door would break down any minute. In the midst of everything, all he could pay attention to was the fact that Maya and Octavia had been captured, and his little sister was now being pressed onto the floor by Mount Weather soldiers._

 _"I have to save them," he vaguely heard Clarke say, as Bellamy looked to them._

 _Still, everything had faded out except for one thing: Octavia was in trouble._

 _"My sister," he ground out. "My responsibility."_

 _And his hand found Clarke's, poised over the lever. He met her eyes, and she looked at him searchingly, as if he could provide some other answer. But he couldn't. Sometimes the hard choice was the only one._

 _"Together?" As she nodded, they both pushed…_

* * *

Bellamy startled awake, fist clenched as if he was still holding Clarke's hand, pushing the lever that would deliver death to all the Mount Weather citizens. He released his hold, flexing his fingers a couple of times as he took notice of his surroundings.

He was in a cave. That's right, the acid fog had set in. It was light outside, but Octavia and Atom still slumbered nearby. Bellamy inspected his skin. A few blisters, but he felt much better than yesterday. In a sick, twisted way, the acid fog did to them what the radiation had done to the mountain men. It poisoned and it burnt. Bellamy remembered the first time around, when Atom had been caught in the stuff. He'd been blinded, skin charred beyond healing.

Looking over Atom now, he would be fine. Octavia slept near him, curled up in a ball, and as Bellamy looked at her, he thought about the dream. This was strange. Two nights in a row, he'd dreamt of his time in Mount Weather, which was strange. He'd managed a sort of numbness back in Camp Jaha, where he'd distanced himself from his memories, his feelings, and anything that would get in the way of his duties. Bellamy had always been highly emotional, but there was no time to think about whatever the hell you wanted when you were in charge. He couldn't have any more lives on his conscience.

Octavia began to stir, and Bellamy watched as she began to wake. Everything in his life seemed to revolve around Octavia. His mother had placed the responsibility on him, and she'd died for Octavia. Because of him. Looking at his little sister, he wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

"Bel?" he heard, and he was shaken from his musings as a bleary-eyed Octavia looked to him.

"Hey, O. How you feeling?"

She smiled. "I'm fine." She turned to Atom, who was beginning to stir, before she looked back. "What was that?"

Bellamy knew the answer, of course, but instead he said, "Don't know, but we have to be careful. From now on, everyone brings tarps with them, and we map out places where we can take shelter if the fog descends again."

Octavia nodded, and Atom sat up with a grunt, looking at his skin. "Shit…"

Bellamy stood, extending a hand to help Octavia up. "Let's go."

* * *

Once outside, he'd met up with Moore and Smith, both of whom were unharmed. They managed to grab another small deer on the way back to camp, and when they walked in, the camp had cheered.

Bellamy grabbed Miller, steering him aside to hear the official report. "Anything happen?"

Miller shook his head. "All quiet here. Had some of the crew practicing with weapons, while others worked on the fence."

Bellamy nodded, listening as Miller listed the happenings around camp. He noticed Finn and Clarke in a corner of the camp, talking closely. Clarke's body language seemed to lean towards him, and he in turn grinned at her as she laughed at something he said. Bellamy felt a _pang_ shoot through him. He'd have to talk to Finn. What he was doing wasn't fair to Clarke, and it wasn't fair to Raven, who Bellamy had developed a pretty close friendship with after the events of Mount Weather.

As Finn pointed something else out, the smile fell from Bellamy's face, and he wondered what they had been talking about until he saw Clarke glance over towards where Wells stood in the woods. After a second, a determined look set on her features, and she began walking towards Wells, Finn looking after her.

Bellamy realized that Miller had stopped talking, and he looked up to see Miller looking at him. He cleared his throat, sheepish that he'd missed what the younger boy was saying. "Repeat that?"

"I was saying that John Murphy took two others and some of the weapons and went off in the woods."

Bellamy scowled. He'd have to deal with Murphy sooner or later. "I'll take care of it. Good work, Miller. Get some food."

Miller gave a quick nod before heading off, and Bellamy looked around. Octavia was flirting with Atom near the edge of the fence, but at least they were within the encampment. Bellamy saw Jasper sitting nearby, waiting for a piece of meat, as someone pushed him out of the way.

Before he even really knew what he was doing, Bellamy was pushing the guy out of the way. "Hey! Don't cut in line."

The guy looked shocked at the intervention before a scowl overtook his face. Bellamy tried to remember how he knew this guy's face, but his train of thought was interrupted when he took a step forward. "Natural selection. If you're weak, others will take your place," he stated cockily.

Jasper merely watched on, not moving, and Bellamy was a bit surprised. The Jasper he knew wouldn't have stood for this.

… But of course, the Jasper he knew had been through a lot more, and had learned to stand up for himself.

Which meant that Bellamy shouldn't be fighting his battles. But as he looked at the asshole now taking a bite of the cooked meat, Bellamy couldn't help himself. He balled up his fist and sent it flying at the guy's face. As the guy crumpled, Bellamy grabbed the next piece of meat, handing it to Jasper. He noticed that everyone was now watching him, including a newly returned Clarke and Wells.

He cleared his throat. "Maybe at one point in my life, I'd have told you that down here, weakness is death. Fear is death. And it can be… if you're alone." He had their attention now, and he stepped forward, further into the clearing. "But we aren't alone. We have each other. We have to work together, look out for each other. And that means we aren't a hierarchy. This isn't the Ark, where the privileged have more resources. This is Earth, and if we're getting a goddamn second chance, then we'll do it right."

Bellamy looked right at the tall guy he'd punched, who was now rubbing his jaw. "And pride and selfishness is the weakness. Got it?"

The guy cursed under his breath, grabbing his stick of meat before stomping off. Everyone began to go back about their business, and Bellamy sighed before traipsing off towards his tent.

"Bellamy!" he heard, and he turned around. Jasper had followed him. "Thanks for that."

Bellamy was suddenly angry, and he didn't know whether he was mad at Jasper, that guy, or himself. "You have to stand up for yourself, Jasper. Nobody else is gonna do it for you down here."

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I just… I guess I'm a bit preoccupied. I haven't been sleeping well. Weird dreams."

"You've been through a lot," Bellamy said as patiently as he could. "We all have."

Jasper shot him a wide smile, and Bellamy suddenly felt sad. He wanted to keep this innocent kid with the goggles smiling like that for as long as he could, but it all seemed like a Sisyphean task now, knowing what lay ahead.

Jasper prattled on for several more minutes about Monty was doing with contacting the Ark, and finally Bellamy managed to excuse himself for just a few minutes alone in his tent.

* * *

That night, the 100 lit a fire in the middle of camp, where people would come and grab food, or even just hang around it for warmth. In the distance, Octavia sat extremely close to Atom, and they talked to one another. Clarke sat across the fire, chatting animatedly with Wells, Finn, Monty, and several others.

Bellamy leaned against the side of the dropship, watching them all, content to see everyone alive and relatively well. His eyes drifted around until they settled back on Clarke. She seemed to feel his gaze, and she looked up and met his eyes. He watched as she excused herself, coming to sit beside him.

"Hey," she said easily.

"Hey," he responded in kind.

They sat there for a minute, relaxed as they watched the rest of the 100 mill about, all satisfied and tired after a long day's work of hunting and building up the wall. Clarke had spent the afternoon playing around with the seaweed's properties, and she had a small smile on her face as she thought about the day's work.

"You and Jaha look pretty chummy," Bellamy stated.

She tensed and glanced at him, but upon deciding it was just a benign observation, she relaxed a bit. "We made up."

Bellamy just raised his brow. He didn't know much about this in the past, only that Wells had loved Clarke, something bad had happened to her Dad, and then she was very upset when Wells was killed. "That's good."

"Yeah… Hey Bellamy?"

He grunted, and when she didn't answer right away, he observed her more closely. She seemed hesitant and shy – totally un-Clarke-like. "What is it?"

"It's just… Why did you tell me to look out for Finn?"

Oh. That? He shrugged. "Just make sure you really know someone before you go too far."

She bristled. "I'm not some hussy who just sleeps around."

He smirked at her. "I didn't say you were, Princess. I just meant that if you don't entirely know someone, that's a pretty easy way to get hurt."

She was quiet for a minute. "I had a strange dream. I killed Finn."

Bellamy sat up a little more. "What?"

She looked down, almost like she was ashamed. "I don't know. I can't remember. It's just that, I knew if I didn't, it would be so much worse for him. And it broke my heart." She looked up at Bellamy, and he could see how glassy her eyes were. "And I told him that I loved him, and then I stabbed him in the heart."

A chill swept over Bellamy, and he knew it wasn't from the night's temperature. "And then what happened?"

"I don't know. Someone wailed. I cried. I woke up. But in the morning, I could remember feeling his tears on my face, could hear the echo of someone crying out for Finn. It was… haunting."

Bellamy wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but he scooted closer, and one of his large hands encircled one of Clarke's smaller ones. "Clarke, it was just a dream. But even so, you were doing it because you had to."

She was staring at their conjoined hands, and Bellamy delicately pulled away from her, lest he freak her out further. Her brow furrowed when he moved away, but he chalked it up to the eeriness of the dream. "I don't think you could ever rationalize killing someone you care about. For anything."

Bellamy looked up at the stars. "You'd be surprised at what you'd do to protect your own, Princess."

* * *

After that, Clarke had eventually gone back to the fire, where she'd joined the others. Bellamy watched as both Finn and Wells sought her attention, and though a part of him was bothered by it, another part of him was content to watch a more naïve and innocent Clarke act her age. In his own timeline, he'd been doing that too: sleeping around, getting the very best of the supplies for his tent… It wasn't until the Grounder threat became too real that they'd had to really grow up.

The biggest thing bothering him had been Clarke's dream. How had she dreamed of that? Whatever the case, Bellamy knew that soon, he'd need to go get some answers from the Soothsayer.

That night, he slept, and it dreamless.

In the morning, Bellamy woke up early, a habit from Camp Jaha when he was training cadets for the armed guard. The 100 weren't stirring yet, but he could see several sprawled on the open ground, while others huddled together both in tents and in the open space. Bellamy sighed, thinking how they needed to get more food today, and they needed to continue with building the wall.

He began work on hauling fallen branches and larger scraps from the dropship over to the barrier fence, and after a few minutes, he was warm enough that he took off his shirt, knowing that he didn't have a ton of spares. After several more minutes, he noticed several of the 100 – mostly girls – watching him, and he couldn't help the self-satisfied smirk that graced his face.

Shortly thereafter, more of the 100 began to trickle over, slowly and carefully helping with the wall. Bellamy felt content, knowing that they were working together and seemed to be listening to his and Clarke's leadership. There was leftover meat for lunch, and when Bellamy noticed them beginning to gather nuts, he was careful to make sure they excluded the ones that had turned out to be hallucinogenic; the last thing he needed in this already alternate reality was to see more visions of dead people.

They worked through the morning, and Bellamy had noticed that he hadn't seen Octavia or Clarke all day. He found Octavia on the outskirts of camp, making out with Atom, and while a part of him bristled, it wasn't worth the energy right now. He didn't see Clarke, but since Wells wasn't worried, Bellamy didn't feel he needed to be either, at least for the moment.

Mid-day, dripping sweat under the hot sun, Bellamy decided to take a small trip to a nearby stream they'd discovered the last time around. He quietly gathered a small pack and left camp, taking a quiet moment to himself after all the craziness of the last few days. It was insane to think that this could all be real, but until he went to see the Soothsayer, he had to assume it was after everything that had happened.

As he neared the stream, Bellamy paused, hearing the normally quiet brook disturbed by a small chuckle. He stalked forward, low to the ground and quiet, as he looked at the stream. The tension in his body didn't let up until he saw a familiar head of blonde up ahead.

Clarke was bathing. She must have managed to sneak away, having the same idea as him. Bellamy wasn't a prude, but his cheeks warmed, as he watched her, still close to the bank as she hunched down to her shoulders in the water. When she stood up, back to him, Bellamy felt the need to tear his eyes away, even though a wilder side of him was tempted to go down and join her.

And when Bellamy's head whipped to the side, he noticed he wasn't the only one watching Clarke bathe.

* * *

A/N: I know how I want this fic to end and I want to write that chapter SO BADLY! But a lot of other stuff has to happen first, hahaha. Anyway, please leave a review if you liked this - that's how we fanfic authors get paid :) xoxo, TATF


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own The 100 or its characters, and I wish I could go meet Bob and Eliza at Dragoncon like my friend KM this weekend!

Chapter 8

Some part of Bellamy was maybe embarrassed at how this must look, what with him hiding while Clarke bathed in the stream.

But other part of him was very nearly murderous when he locked eyes with Finn. In Spacewalker's defense, he seemed to be having the same reaction, as it seemed that his embarrassment was at war with his anger as he glared back at Bellamy.

Bellamy flicked his head to the side, and Finn got the hint as he began to shuffle backwards, away from the stream and into the woods. Bellamy followed suit, shooting one last glance at Clarke's form as he silently padded back into the woods.

After a few minutes, Bellamy paused as he heard a voice behind him. "Didn't think you were _that_ perverted, Bellamy. Though I guess it makes sense," Finn said, stepping out where Bellamy could see him.

Bellamy bristled, but he tried to maintain his calm, knowing Finn was just being a possessive jackass. "The same could be said of you, Spacewalker. What were you doing there?"

Finn narrowed his eyes, purely defensive. "I followed Clarke to make sure she was safe, okay? What's your excuse?"

"I didn't even know she was out here. Unlike you, some of us have been working all morning, and I felt like I could use a dip."

"Oh yeah? How'd you even know this stream was here?"

 _Fuck_. This probably wasn't a well-known spot yet. "I encountered it on the hunting mission." Before Finn could ask any more pointed questions, Bellamy went on the offensive. "Clarke can take care of herself, Finn."

"You don't know what she needs – ," Finn began, but Bellamy interrupted.

"I know that she doesn't need her heart to be broken by someone who's been in a relationship for most of his life. Who's still technically in that relationship."

That shut Finn up good. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, reminding Bellamy of fish he'd seen his first time around down here. Finally, he spoke, and his voice was quiet. "How do you know about Raven?"

"Does it really matter? Raven's a solid girl, and Clarke obviously has no idea. What you're doing isn't fair to either of them."

Finn swallowed, his throat bobbing. "I'll probably never see Raven again…"

"Do you really want to risk that?" Bellamy suddenly saw Finn as a 17-year-old boy, unsure and full of doubt. He softened, his inner big brother coming out. "You're lucky, Finn. You have someone who loves you up there. I've met her… I can say that she's probably doing everything she can to reach you."

Even though Bellamy had never met Raven on the Ark, he did know her well, at least during the time they'd spent together here on Earth. Hell, she'd been one of the only things holding him together in Camp Jaha, during the aftermath of the Mount Weather rescue. He knew that this conversation here and now would protect both Clarke and Raven from the emotional turmoil that Finn's choices had wrought the first time around.

"Clarke does need you, Finn, but just be her friend. Don't lead her on. She's had enough heartbreak." Finn nodded, still quiet, and Bellamy inclined his head towards camp. "Let's head back."

"Bellamy?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not so bad."

And for the first time, Bellamy actually felt a bit of kinship that he'd really never had the first time around with Finn Collins. "You too, Finn. We all need a helping hand every now and again."

* * *

When Bellamy and Finn finally arrived back at camp, it was nearly evening. Clarke was already back from her swim, and Bellamy saw her brows raise as she clocked him walking with Finn. He ignored her, instead heading towards Octavia, who was curled up with Atom near one of the fires.

As he got closer, his nose wrinkled as he recognized as familiar smell. "Moonshine?" he asked, and Atom almost immediately scrambled up, Octavia falling off his lap, as they noticed Bellamy.

Octavia gave him a dazzling smile, happier than Bellamy had seen her in quite a while. She still hadn't seen the horrors the Earth had to hide. She was still young, and innocent. "Jasper and Monty! They managed to mix some up." She held out a cup to Bellamy, and he grabbed it, taking a swig.

It burnt his throat. He'd had better, but… It was still pretty good. It tasted like Monty and Jasper's moonshine. This is how it had been, before Jasper had left. He let out a small cough as the aftertaste really hit him.

"It's not the smoothest," Octavia said, taking the cup back. "But you get used to it."

Bellamy smiled down at her. Her face was red, and her eyes a bit hazy. She was very obviously tipsy, and Bellamy turned his eyes up to Atom, who looked like he wanted to disappear. "Atom."

"Hey, Bellamy."

Bellamy leaned in close, whispering in Atom's ear. "I hope if I ask Octavia about this tomorrow, she'll tell me you've been a perfect gentleman." Atom nodded, and Bellamy clapped him – maybe a little too hard – on the shoulder. "Great."

Bellamy left them, deciding he'd spend more time with Octavia tomorrow. The day after he'd go to the caves. He'd seek out the Soothsayer, and he'd find out what was going on. While part of him did want to stay in this reality, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't real. This wasn't his Octavia. This wasn't the Jasper or Monty or Finn he'd known. This wasn't the real Clarke.

Bellamy ran into Jasper and Monty next, both of whom had clearly had too much to drink. "This… is ma best friend," Jasper slurred, arm thrown around Monty's shoulders. "We'll be BFFs… like, forever! Nothin' can change it."

Monty nodded, taking another chug of his moonshine. "True. That."

Bellamy was given his own cup, and he mingled with members of the 100 that he hadn't spent much time with yet. Roma sidled up to him, and he quickly but gently let her down, pointing her towards Monroe and Sterling as they laughed near one of the campfires. Even Murphy seemed to be having a good time, and for the first time in a while, Bellamy let himself sit back and enjoy what was happening around him.

"I wonder what's going on over there," Bellamy heard, and he looked up as Wells came to sit beside him. The young Jaha wasn't drinking, and he declined when Bellamy offered him a sip. "No thanks. None for me."

"You should lighten up, Wells."

Wells shrugged. "I prefer to stay on my guard. Someone should."

Bellamy couldn't argue with that, but if Wells was going to be that guy tonight, then fine by him. He took another sip as he followed Wells' eyes across the camp. Clarke looked angry as she talked to Finn. She said something to him that made his shoulders slouch, and suddenly she was purposefully stomping towards them as Bellamy and Wells glanced at each other, confused.

She stopped in front of them, and Wells stood. "Clarke, what's wrong?"

But her eyes were on Bellamy, and she poked him in the chest. "I'm here for _you_. We need to talk."

The look on her face suggested that she wasn't going to give up on this, so Bellamy sighed as he stood. He drained the rest of his drink, then put out an arm, gesturing for her to walk. She huffed as she walked past him, and Bellamy gave Wells one last glance. "Good luck," Wells mouthed, and Bellamy nearly smiled at him.

He followed Clarke around the back of the dropship until she spun around, finger pointed as she tapped his chest. "What did you say to Finn?"

"What?"

She'd clearly had a bit of moonshine, but her blue eyes were incredibly clear as she glared up at him. "You two come back into camp together, which was already weird, because you seem like the last two people on Earth to become all buddy-buddy, and suddenly he'll barely talk to me."

Bellamy wished he had more moonshine with him right now. "I don't know what you're talking about, Princess."

"Please, Bellamy. I know you think you're in charge here. You obviously said something to him."

"Earth to Clarke: I _am_ in charge down here. If I did say something to Finn, it was something he needed to hear."

She gave off a sardonic laugh. "Right, because you're so concerned with everyone else."

Bellamy's temper began to flare a bit at this; maybe that hadn't been the case at the very beginning the first time around, but that certainly wasn't true anymore. "If Finn isn't interested, that's not my fault. Maybe you should loosen up, Princess."

Clarke stepped closer, and alarm bells began to ring in Bellamy's head as she invaded his personal space. "Maybe I'm _trying_ , Bellamy! But everyone here is depending on me, on _us_ , to keep them alive. And I'm sent down here by the woman who…"

And just like that, all of Clarke's anger seemed to drain away and her shoulders drooped, leaving behind only a profound kind of sadness that he instantly recognized. It was the kind of feeling that gnawed at your soul and plagued your dreams, and he found himself reacting as he reached his arms around her waist and she folded into his chest.

Clarke didn't cry. That wasn't who she was. Instead, she took a couple of deep, shuddering breaths as she regained control. He rubbed small circles on his back, trying to will himself to be as sober as possible. Finally, Clarke took a step back, rearranging her poker face. "Sorry," she said, her walls back in place.

He shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry for."

"It's just… My mother sent me down here. I haven't seen her in nearly a year. I haven't seen _anyone_ in nearly a year."

"Right. Solitary."

"Yeah… And I've blamed Wells this whole time, but I realized…" She trailed off, taking another deep inhale.

"You realized it was her, not Wells, who was responsible for what happened to your Dad."

Her head bobbed up and down. "And down here, I've just felt so out of control, so unstable, and so angry, and Finn… He's been nice to me. I just felt like… Well, I guess it doesn't matter what I felt, since he obviously doesn't feel the same."

"Clarke," Bellamy began, and he cursed how hoarse his voice was. "Finn cares about you, but if he's pulling back, he obviously has a good reason. And you're not the only one who's angry. We all are. That's why we're here. The Ark declared us all criminals, and we've broken rules. But you know what? We're here on Earth. It's a second chance, for us, for humanity. Sometimes rules are made to be broken."

She gave him a tremulous smile, and she reached a sleeve up to rub her eyes. "You must think I'm so stupid." She gave a little laugh.

"I don't. You forget I grew up in a household of women."

"So you're used to moodiness?"

"No, Princess. I'm used to knowing that sometimes you have to be human and let it out so you don't implode. And for what you've dealt with, you have to be strong. But I'll tell you something." Bellamy leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. "You can let your walls down with me. If you need forgiveness, I'll give it to you. You're forgiven."

When he pulled back up, Clarke's cheeks were red, and she was looking at him strangely. "What is it?" he asked.

"No… It's nothing. Just… a weird sense of déjà vu, like we've been in this position before."

Now it was Bellamy's turn to give her a strange look. How could she possibly know that? He shrugged it off, moving quickly past it. "You're doing a good job, Princess. Don't be so hard on yourself. Now let's go back to camp and get you a drink."

In the woods, both Bellamy and Clarke heard a branch snap, and their heads whipped around as they looked out past the walls of the 100's encampment. "Grounders?" Clarke asked.

She looked on the ground, but Bellamy's eyes shot up to the tree line as he scanned. He breathed in sharply as his eyes met another pair, and he realized he knew who was watching them.

Up in the branches, Lincoln seemed to be surveilling the camp. Bellamy gave him a quick nod, and if Lincoln was surprised, he gave no inclination of it. Still, Bellamy knew he wasn't about to intrude on camp; he was most likely there sketching and watching Octavia. At one point, that knowledge might have worried Bellamy, but no longer.

Instead, Bellamy wrapped his hand around Clarke's small wrist, giving her a slight tug as he walked back towards the rest of the group. "It was probably nothing. We'll check it out tomorrow."

Clarke still looked unsure, but she lightened up as they entered the main fray. Bellamy looked back one more time, but Lincoln was gone.

* * *

A/N: UGH I have a lot of scenes I want to write for this story, but they're further along... We'll get there, I'm just impatient, hahaha. But I promise you all will be SUPER into them, because they are so very Bellarke is almost HURTS. Anyway, sorry it took a while to update. Please leave a review if you can, because reviews = inspiration, which really helps me during times like these when I'm really busy. Thanks for reading! xoxo, TATF


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own THE 100 or its characters, but they inspire me a lot!

Chapter 9

 _He could hear them behind him, shooting at him, and yet it didn't even matter because he knew that any second now, they were all going to be burned alive when those tanks blew, and he had nowhere to go._

 _Crawling through the vents, he could hear the shouts and knew they were closing in. At least if he had to die, he was doing it in service of the people he'd come to care for, to love. Maybe he'd been a janitor on the Ark, but down here he was Bellamy, rebel leader of the 100, and he'd be damned if he let them die here in Mount Weather after everything they'd been through._

 _Bellamy turned over, facing towards the opening of the vent. He could see shapes approaching the opening, and he immediately opened fire, a gun in both hands. Bullets ricocheted off the vent's edges, but he kept firing, biting his lip until –_

 _A jarring_ BOOM _suddenly was the only warning as the tank exploding, effortlessly incinerating every Mount Weather soldier in the vicinity. Bellamy scrambled back on his hands, the blast blowing him back into a bifurcate indentation. He curled into a ball, coughing up smoke, as the blast died down, and all he could do was curl into himself, hoping that some way, somehow, he'd make it out of this hell alive…_

* * *

Bellamy's eyes snapped open, which he immediately regretted. He squinted, looking around before he realized where he was. He groaned as he sat up, his head pounding a bit. His tongue was dry, and he hurriedly stepped outside to refill his water.

The 100 were clearly feeling the moonshine from last night, and most of them were still asleep in the clearing. Bellamy stepped over Monty, Harper, and Jasper, who were all three sprawled atop one another. The few who were awake didn't move much, and Bellamy gave a short and very slow nod to Miller, who was leaning against the water trough and looking like he might puke at any moment. Bellamy drank, feeling his stomach roil, as he sank down next to Miller.

They didn't speak for about fifteen minutes, until finally Miller chuckled. Bellamy turned to him, one brow quirked. Miller looked at him slowly. "Man, you would not _believe_ the dream I had last night."

"Yeah? Try me."

"I don't know, but I was with those three over there," Miller gestured to the sleeping bodies of Monty, Jasper, and Harper, "And we were breaking into some big room. It was definitely no room on the Ark. Looks like Earth's playing tricks on me, because then it got weird. Goggles over there found some kind of sword and thought he was hot shit."

Miller began laughing again, and Bellamy relaxed a bit. Bellamy realized the dreams he was having were more like memories, and he'd started to worry when others here had begun mentioning their dreams as well… But whatever Miller was talking about seemed like something fantastical conjured from his mind.

 _Unless it happened in Mount Weather_. Bellamy's smirk died on his lips. All four of them had been in Mount Weather together, right?

"What were you trying to steal?"

Miller shook his head. "I don't even know, man. We were looking for something, anything. All I can remember is a name. Weird, yeah?"

"What name?"

"Something kind of classical… Dante?"

And just like that, Bellamy felt his blood run cold. The 100 were dreaming about his own time even though it hadn't happened to them yet. He needed to see the Soothsayer, and soon.

* * *

"But Bel, you _promised_!" Octavia complained. "You went on and on last night about how we were going to have this great day together, and now you're ditching me."

"I know, I'm sorry, O. There's just something I have to do," Bellamy told her. It wasn't like he didn't want to spend time with her, because if anything, it was the opposite. But he had to see the Soothsayer today, lest something terrible happen.

Bellamy once read a book about chaos theory back on the Ark. He hadn't entirely understood it, and it had all been predicated on a dare because he and his friend Thorne had wanted to sneak into the laboratory wing of the Ark to steal some supplies, but he did remember finding something called the butterfly effect pretty fascinating. The thought was that a single occurrence, no matter how small, could irrevocably change the course of the universe. Here and now, Bellamy was beginning to worry that by altering this timeline, there could be unintended consequences. Thus far nothing had gone awry, but a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him the peace wouldn't last long.

And Bellamy was nothing if not savvy in the ways of surviving; it was what he'd been doing his entire life.

Octavia huffed at him, flipping her hair over her shoulder in annoyance. "What could you possibly have to do? It's not like we're beholden to anyone down here."

Packed up, Bellamy placed his hand on Octavia's shoulder, "Octavia." His voice was gruff, and she could feel the change as he looked at her.

"What is it?"

"Please stay in camp until I'm back, okay? Just stay with Atom. I promise we'll hang out tonight."

Octavia pouted, and Bellamy smiled sadly. In his own world, this version of Octavia was long gone; innocence had faded and in its place had grown the callousness of a warrior. And while Bellamy wouldn't change anything about her, seeing his baby sister this way made him remember what he was fighting to protect.

"Fine," she said, flouncing off. She gave him one last look over his shoulder. "But you'd better keep that promise!"

One side of Bellamy's mouth tilted up as he readied to head out. He'd given orders to Miller and Monroe on what to do in camp. Clarke wasn't around, but Bellamy had seen Space Walker floating around the camp, meaning she was probably somewhere nearby.

Though after their talk, Bellamy was relieved to see that Finn had backed off. Bellamy left the camp, intent on making good time to the caves. He only had a rough idea of where they were, so he had to be efficient if he hoped to make it back by nightfall. He only hoped he wouldn't meet any Grounders along the way.

"Wells, _cut it out_ …"

Bellamy froze as he heard a voice ahead. He knew immediately that it was Clarke, and he crept closer.

Up ahead, Bellamy saw Wells and Clarke on the bank of the small inlet cutting through the forest. They were clearly gathering more seaweed, only it looked like Wells had flung a piece of it onto Clarke. She wasn't mad, though. A small part of Bellamy's gut twisted in an unpleasant way as she picked the seaweed off of her and flung it back at Wells. He laughed, skirting around a stone on the bank, and Clarke came around after him.

Good. Having Wells here certainly helped with the Princess' spirit. Like Octavia, she also seemed to exude an air of innocence, untouched by the horrible choices she'd had to make in his own timeline.

Bellamy allowed himself to watch for a minute more before he stepped back. Under his heel, a twig snapped, and Clarke's head whipped around. But Bellamy was quick, and he ducked behind a tree. After a moment, Clarke's attention turned back to Wells, and she laughed at something he'd said. Bellamy took a deep breath and slunk away, intent on reaching the caves within the next few hours.

* * *

After an hour and a half of an extremely steady pace, Bellamy was pleased to see familiar surroundings. He was close, and he nearly exhaled in relief when he saw the caves where he'd once been. He neared the entrance, glancing around behind him. The caves were small, and maneuvering down there was hard. If a Grounder were to follow him, or a Mountain Man… Well, he hoped it wouldn't come to that, but he was prepared if need be.

As Bellamy ventured into the cave, he came upon a room he recognized before. "Hey," he tried, but he was only answered by the echoes of his own voice. "Hello? Allegra?"

Fuck. That had been her name, right? So where was she?

Bellamy turned, coming up short as he pivoted to find the old woman standing directly in front of him. "Well, what is it, boy? Out with it."

Bellamy steeled himself. "Where am I?"

"Why, you're on Earth. I should have thought that was one of the more obvious things."

Bellamy's nostrils flared as he tried to keep calm. She was clearly amused by this situation, though he failed to see what was so goddamn funny. "But _how_? How am I here? Is it real?"

"Oh," Allegra cooed, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. "It is very real. These people are real. To them, this is the first time on Earth. Everything you do here has consequences."

"But how? I mean…" Bellamy raked a hand through his unruly hair. "So that's really my sister?"

"Yes, Bellamy Blake. She is here. All of them are real. If they die in this timeline, that is as real as if they had died in yours. I told you: wishes have power."

"So… I'm here for good?"

"Don't you pay attention? You have one full lunar cycle, though you have already used up several sunrises."

"What about these dreams? Are they memories?"

Her lips pursed, but it almost seemed as if she approved of his questions. "The timelines are out of sync. There is some… residual debris bleeding through. It will continue until the debt owed has been paid in full."

Bellamy nodded. "What does that mean… a debt owed?"

Allegra's expression grew serious, and a bony hand reached towards his face. Bellamy pulled back on instinct, and she paused, withdrawing her hand as she spoke. "There is an equilibrium to the universe, a balance that will always find a way. For anything you change, you must pay. There is a cost to your being here."

This did not sit well with Bellamy at all. "What the fuck? I didn't even ask for this!"

"But you did," the old woman whispered. "And the fate of those here hang in the balance. Only you can save them."

"What do you mean? How can I do that?" Bellamy asked, his heart rate rising. This wasn't what he had wanted, for some cosmic balance to take a toll on those he cared about and looked after. He'd already changed things. What would happen to them now? When Allegra didn't answer, Bellamy bent forward, his hands grasping her shoulders. "Explain. How do I save them?!"

"Bellamy?"

Bellamy's head spun around, and he saw Clarke standing near the mouth of the cavern. She looked almost ethereal in the light, her hair a golden halo around her, her blue eyes luminescent. "What are you doing?"

When Bellamy spun back around, he saw that he was not holding onto Allegra, but instead his hands grasped a large rock. He let it fall to the ground with a _THWUMP_ , and he turned to Clarke, wondering how much she'd heard. "Nothing. What are you doing out here, Clarke?"

His shortness seemed to bother her, and her eyes flared in annoyance at his tone. "I saw you earlier, at the river. I followed you."

"Where's Wells?" Something had come over him. Maybe it was knowing that she was real, that this timeline wasn't a dream or a fake reality. She was actually _here_ , with him. He walked closer to her, and she took a step back at his predatory gait.

"I gave him the slip. Hopefully he went back to camp."

Bellamy huffed out a laugh. "Of course he won't do that. Poor Jaha's probably out there right now, looking for you, blaming himself."

Clarke looked a little guilty at that, but she squared her shoulders as he neared her, refusing to give any ground. "What are you doing here, anyway? You're so secretive, and you never had a wristband. There's something you're not telling us."

"There's a lot I'm not telling you, Princess," Bellamy stated drily as he reached her.

They stood at a standstill, and Bellamy couldn't quite understand why they seemed angry with each other. The air around them seemed to crackle with energy as they faced off. Clarke looked half-angry, half-confused, like she couldn't understand her own actions either.

Before Bellamy could break the tension, the ground rumbled suddenly. "Shit," he cursed as Clarke stumbled forward into him. Pieces of the cave above him began to tumble, and Bellamy could have sworn he heard an old woman's cackle as it became apparent that another cave-in was imminent.

"What's happening?!" Clarke asked, gripping his biceps, as he struggled to keep them standing.

"Run. Now!" He pushed her forward, through the mouth of the cavern. Up ahead, Bellamy could see the light. The cave rumbled around them, and Clarke yelped as rocks fell from the ceiling in front of them.

Pain exploded in Bellamy's head as a falling rock struck his temple. He could feel blood already oozing from the cut, and he was beginning to feel dizzy. His pace slowed, and he stumbled.

"Bellamy!" Ahead, Bellamy could see Clarke pause. She was so close to the entrance.

"Go…," he tried to manage, but his eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and then there was black.

* * *

"Clarke! _Clarke_!"

Bellamy groaned. Whoever was yelling for their resident healer was going to regret it. How could they be so loud this early in the morning?

Pain suddenly exploded in his head, and Bellamy's eyes shot open. Light filtered through small cracks in the stones that seemed to be lining the walls around him, and Bellamy coughed as he took in his surroundings.

The cave-in. _Clarke_.

As someone shouted her name again, Bellamy sat up, his eyes alighting on blonde hair as she lay sprawled over a stone nearby. Bellamy crawled to her, shaking her shoulder. "Clarke. Hey, wake up. C'mon."

She didn't look too worse for the wear. A couple of scrapes, but nothing too big. A small cut on her cheek had dried blood on it, and Bellamy guessed they must have been out for a while. She stirred, her nose wrinkling cutely, until her blue eyes blinked open. "Bel'my?"

Another call of her name had her sitting up in recognition. "Wells," she whispered.

Then she was up, clawing at the side of the cavern. "Wells!"

Bellamy realized that she was right. The Jaha boy had come looking for her, and he was outside. "Jaha!" he shouted, helping Clarke dig through the rubble.

They managed to dislodge a few stones, and a shaft of light flooded through. "Wells!" Clarke shouted, and an answering call told them that he had heard.

Wells was there within the minute, digging from the other side. "Clarke! Thank God. I thought… Well, never mind what I thought. Are you hurt?"

Clarke gave out a small laugh. "No, I'm okay, but Bellamy – "

"Bellamy's with you?" Bellamy couldn't help his smirk at the tone in Wells' voice, but he managed to keep quiet. Clarke looked at him, and he winced as her hand gently touched the gash on his head.

"Yes, and he's hurt. Wells, we need your help digging us out."

"I'm on it," he said, already beginning to move boulders.

Clarke began to help, and Bellamy steeled himself to pull rocks. As soon as he exerted himself, though, he felt suddenly nauseous, groaning as he sat backwards. "Shit."

Clarke was there in an instance. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… Just got a little knocked around. I'll be fine, Princess."

On the outside, they heard Wells curse. Clarke scrambled up towards the hole in the wall. "Wells?"

"These rocks are too heavy. I can't budge them alone."

Clarke nodded, as if thinking to herself. "Okay. You're gonna have to go back to camp and get help."

Wells sounded appalled. "I'm not leaving you, Clarke. What if something happens while I'm gone?"

"We can't get out of here unless you get help. Bellamy is hurt, probably concussed. We're not going anywhere."

Bellamy cleared his throat. "Jaha, talk to Miller back at camp. He'll be able to help pick out a search party. I promise I won't let anything happen to her while you're gone."

There was a moment of silence, and then Wells responded. "Okay. I'll run, fast as I can. I'll be back soon."

"I know you will, Wells," Clarke said, and she smiled as he chuckled a response.

And with that, Bellamy and Clarke were left utterly and completely alone.

* * *

A/N: HEY GUYS, I am still alive! And I am finally writing more again! I have a lot of this fic planned out, and I don't believe in incomplete stories, so even if there are breaks between chapters, just know that another is coming at some point. Please leave a review (reviews = inspiration), but hopefully will get chapters out quicker this next time. Thanks so much for reading! xoxo, TATF


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